The Original Anti-Vaxxer

About this episode

The episode explores the historical case of Henning Jacobson's refusal of the smallpox vaccine and its implications on individual rights versus public health.

In 1902, a Swedish-American pastor named Henning Jacobson refused to get the smallpox vaccine. This launched a chain of events leading to two landmark Supreme Court cases, in which the Court considered the balancing act between individual liberty over our bodies and the collective good. A version of this story originally ran on The Experiment on March 21, 2021. Voices in the episode include: • Rev. Robin Lutjohann — pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts • Michael Willrich — Brandeis University history professor • Wendy Parmet — Northeastern University School of Law professor Learn more: • 1905: Jacobson v. Massachusetts • 1927: Buck v. Bell • 2022: National Federation of Independent Business v. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration • 2022: Biden v. Missouri • "Pox: An American History" by Michael Willrich • "Constitutional Contagion: COVID, the Courts, and Public Health" by Wendy Parmet Music by Ob (“Wold”), Parish Council (“Leaving the TV on at Night,” “Museum Weather,” “P Lachaise”), Alecs Pierce (“Harbour Music, Parts I & II”), Laundry (“Lawn Feeling”), water feature (“richard iii (duke of gloucester)”), Keyboard (“Mu”), and…

People in this episode

Guests: Michael Willrich, Wendy Parmet, Rev Robin Lutjohann

Topics covered

• vaccination
• Supreme Court
• individual liberty
• public health

Keywords

• Henning Jacobson
• smallpox vaccine
• landmark cases
• liberty
• collective good

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Pox: An American History, Constitutional Contagion: COVID, the Courts, and Public Health

Books & works: Pox: An American History, Constitutional Contagion: COVID, the Courts, and Public Health, Wold, Leaving the TV on, Museum Weather, P Lachaise, Harbour Music, Parts I & II, Lawn Feeling, Mu, Forevertime Journeys

Places: Cambridge, Massachusetts, Missouri

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