Vaccines: A look back at two centuries of fear

January 25, 2026

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By Cecile Coumau THE January 24, 2026 at 6:00 AM Subscribers

Anti-vaccination movements developed as soon as the first vaccination mandates were introduced.

The British physician Edward Jenner was the first to develop a vaccine – the one against smallpox – which he successfully tested on a child in 1796.

BY AGOSTINI PICTURE LIBRARY/ AKG IMAGES

This article is taken from the monthly magazine Sciences et Avenir n°947, dated January 2026.

In 1802, in London (United Kingdom), an engraving depicted vaccinated individuals adorned with horns, hooves, or cow muzzles. Less than ten years after the first inoculations performed by physician Edward Jenner, some feared that this new practice would alter the human body.

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