On Immunity: An Inoculation

"It spelled 'munity,' from the Latin munis for service or duty."

Eula Biss

On Immunity

Over the past few days I have been sick. Yesterday was horrendous; fever, vomiting, shakes that were so bad I thought my teeth were going to rattle out of my mouth. Today has been better; aches, pains, drowsiness, dizziness. I figured I might try to read a little about Inoculation and the discussions concerning it with the 'anti-vaxer' movement. 

On Immunity, by Eula Biss, is a well researched book that is part micro-history of vaccines, part commentary and critique of how we talk about disease and vaccination, and part memoir as she explains the choices she made and how she felt about vaccination before and after her son was born. This book was magnificent. It wasn't judgmental, as so many discussions about this argument are (I can be very judgmental about this topic), but instead explained the information available and how it could lead to the conclusions that both sides come to. She explains how one parents decisions to vaccinate their child can come from the same place as another parents decisions not to. We are all afraid, and the issue is complicated.

My favorite parts of the book were when Biss examined the metaphors we use to describe diseases and vaccines. She went back to Dracula and examined the myths of filth that surrounded sickness throughout various times in history, examining how class effects how we view sickness, and how being sick is often thought of as a crime of "otherness" and how this effects the way people make the decisions on what vaccines their children will receive. It was fascinating, to see how the language used effects the way people think about the issue, and how the metaphors used on this particular issue can effect the way one thinks about another issue. 

Another thing I thought this book did really well was explain the history of vaccines and the plethora of information that exists about them. It was fascinating to learn about. I had a fairly good idea of how vaccines work and are manufactured, but the history of them is really cool. China began vaccinating people against small pox in the 17th century, well before they began vaccinating in Europe. The earliest vaccines seem incredibly odd and unsafe but even back then they were considered a necessary risk.

This book was amazing. I definitely think that it a must read for everyone, especially if you have the opportunity to make the decision whether or not to inoculate your child. I personally think that vaccination is a no-brainer, the rewards, in my mind, greatly justify the risks. I think anyone who has been exposed to the information and life experiences I have will come to the same conclusion. But the issue is complicated, and it is understandable for there to be differing conclusions. After all, the rejection of inoculation is not a new thing, though the reasons change from region to region and time to time, as the idea of whether or not to vaccinate is often tied up with different issues, like class and race, and ideals like freedom and autonomy. This was a wonderful read and I highly recommend it.