Customer Reviews

Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I will state my bias upfront: prior to reading this book, I thought vaccines were a great preventative health tool. However, I also wanted more information from both sides of the debate.

I picked this book up because I wanted an opinion that was neither from the medical nor the anti-vaccine establishments... And I was not disappointed. Allen writes a balanced, interesting, easy-to-read examination of vaccines from their conception to now, with many of the successes AND failures along the way.

What I appreciated most about the book is that unlike much of the vaccine "information" you will find on the internet, when he claims a point, he backs it up with the reference (52 pages of them in fact) in case you doubt it. He is thorough in his investigation and gives equal "airtime" to both sides of the issue. His conclusions are transparent and well justified.

As mentioned in other reviews, the book is split into historical and more current chapters. After reading the first historical chapter, I skipped to the last one and ended up reading the book backwards. I don't think I lost anything that way. So feel free to pick and choose from the chapters as your interests change.

Balanced, reliable information on vaccines that I think any parent with questions should review... He debunks a lot of myths with great credibility. I learned a lot.

"Vaccine" is a timely and pertinent book that does an outstanding job of analyzing the many controversies that have plagued (pun intended) vaccines since their beginning. Always a hotbed of controversy, the debate surrounding vaccines has arisen again as a new generation of parents questions the politics and implications behind the HPV vaccine for girls.

This book should be a must-read for parents before they decide NOT to inoculate their children. The book notes there are pockets within communities of highly educated (and very, shall we say, freethinking) parents who don't vaccinate their kids. The chapter titled "People Who Prefer Whooping Cough" tells the intriguing story of a Waldorf School (this one in Boulder, Co.) which maintains that children should become very ill in order to develop into spiritually whole human beings. Public health officials have been tracing many whooping cough outbreaks to this school in Boulder, and cases were showing up more and more in nearby cities like Golden, Colorado Springs and Fort Collins.

Also of interest is the chapter that examines vaccines and whether there is a link to the recent `epidemic' of autism. This book can be a valuable resource for families looking for a comprehensive history of the issue.

Arthur Allen has exhaustively researched and dissected his subject matter, as his 50 pages of footnotes show. His narrative, conversational tone and his skill at weaving the pieces of the story together help make this a highly readable, informative book despite its inherent complexities.

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"In telling the story of vaccination, this book makes an assessment that is as fair as I can make it, based on the available evidence. I [the author] am neither a scientist nor someone with personal experience of a severe vaccine reaction [vaccines carry some measure of risk to the patient]...This book deals with preventive vaccines [that produce an artificial immunity] against infectious diseases [smallpox, polio, measles, whooping cough, etc.)...a vaccine's success as a public health measure relies on three legs of support: (1) the public, which must be confident of the safety and worth of the procedure; (2) manufactures, who seek to generate profits by making vaccines; and (3) government and public-health [workers] who...[help] further population-wide health goals. As [the reader] will see throughout this book, none of these legs is entirely stable."

The above is found in the introduction of this well-researched, easy-to-read book by writer Arthur Allen. Be aware that the author also says in the introduction the following: "I do...bring personal agendas to this book." The book itself is divided into three parts.

In the first two parts, Allen describes the history of the development of vaccines in a time when there were no clinical ethics boards or informed consent laws, the defeat of such infectious diseases as smallpox & polio, and public resistance to widespread vaccination. There's a lot here to disturb both proponents and opponents of mandatory vaccination.

The author devotes the third and last part of his book to the vaccine controversies of the last few decades. I found that this relatively brief analysis was not well connected to the first two parts. Actually, I can't understand why Allen added this third part except to "bring [his] personal agendas" to the "controversial story" of vaccination.

Allen does, in my opinion, highlight the crux of the vaccination issue by quoting somebody else:

"As in all wars, some soldiers are injured...At present, the draftees [mainly babies and small children] injured in the war on infectious diseases are in effect told by conscripting authorities, `Thank you for your contribution to the war effort, and best of success in coping with your [life-long] disability [caused by the vaccination].'"

There are two sets of black and white pictures or "plates" found in the book consisting of fourteen and sixteen pictures respectively. My favorite picture has the following caption:

"Six million New Yorkers were vaccinated within a few weeks after smallpox appeared in the city in 1947. Contemporaries were struck at the willingness of Americans to accept vaccination in this postwar period--even though the [smallpox] vaccine killed and maimed far more people that did smallpox itself."

Finally, those readers seeking a comprehensive treatment of the vaccine debate and history of vaccination outside the United States should go elsewhere.

In conclusion, readers seeking a solid history of the first 2 1/2 centuries of vaccination will find a lot to think about in this book!!

*** 1/2

(first published 2007; introduction; three parts or 10 chapters; epilogue; main narrative 440 pages; acknowledgements; notes; index)

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A very good history of the vaccine discovery, implementation and political ramifications within religious groups once problems stemmed from discovered wrongdoing. the chapter on autism is the best.

This will appeal to many people, from history buffs to health professionals and those of us who also love a good story. Myself, I always enjoy the human behavior aspect to how things came to be in our society, and the story of vaccination is terrific. Aside from the fun aspect of this book, Mr. Allen manages to write compassionately about the real people who have believed that their children's autism was caused by vaccines. There has been so much propaganda and spurious argumentation around this issue (particularly by people like Don Imus--he should be ashamed of himself), which has unfortunately lead many parents of children with autism to believe that vaccination caused their child's disability. I hope very much that Mr. Allen's work will help shine the light of reason on that sad situation.

I am interested in all aspects of science, particularly recent controversies. This book covers the mixed history of vaccines in a very thorough way. The author does not hesitate to criticize vaccines, and points out with great clarity those problems that did occur with shots in the past. I especially enjoyed how he was able to bring the personalities of the characters so vividly to life. But his overall conclusion is that vaccines are presently safer than ever before. And that's not because he is a "pharma tool", but because he has really looked at this issue and has made a rational, realistic conclusion.

This book deserves to be read by everyone, and in particular by those parents hesitating over the question of whether to vaccinate their children.

Personally, I thought this book was about a 4-star, but I decided to give it 5 to somewhat counteract all the 1-star reviews by anti-vax nutjobs. Good book though, well worth the time spent reading it.

Arthur Allen is a really gifted writer with the ability to make history and science come alive in this compelling look at vaccines. I think Vaccines is an especially important book for people -- and especially parents -- to read right now because of the re-appearance of diseases we thought we had long ago eradicated and the decision some people are making not to vaccinate their children because of fears that it may do more harm than good. This is a complicated and emotional topic, and Allen does us all a great service by presenting the facts, opinions, propaganda and misconceptions with no ax to grind. Even if you don't find all the answers you seek in this book, you will be much better equipped to ask the right questions.

In approaching this book, I was hoping for an examination of both the medical and cultural history of vaccines, and I was not disappointed. The book starts at the beginning for the US with smallpox vaccination (using very, very crude methods) and works all the way to present day.
The book's subtitle portrays the author's attitude perfectly - "The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver" - the author's bias is that sure, there has been considerable controversy over the vaccines, but in the long run they have benefited society and humanity. The book definitely delves into the controversy - approximately the last 200 pages deal with post-1980 society, with extensive discussion of modern day controversies surrounding, and how the cultural and political landscape of the US has changed since World War II and thus changed vaccination. If anything, I wish the author would have discussed more about the earlier anti-vaccine groups, instead of focusing a lot on the recent issues with pertussis and thimerosal.
The current anti-vaccine groups do not like this book - just look at the one star reviews. In all fairness, the author does delve into their concerns, interviewing them extensively, and does not treat vaccines like they are the cure-all, but the anti-vaccine groups do come off as being, well, living with different perceptions than the rest of us. So, it's really not for them, but if you want a reasonable look at the facts, this is a good book to pick up.

I thoroughly enjoyed Arthur Allen's book "Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver" (2007). The concept of vaccination is unique because, unlike asthma sprays, insulin shots, or liquid penicillin, vaccines prevent rather than battle disease. Allen highlights that during the first 200 years of vaccination's history, it could only stop smallpox, which was finally eradicated in 1980. None of my daughters born during that decade received any protection from smallpox as a result. There was no need for it. The medical establishment built upon a foundation of success and increasing credibility during the twentieth century and inaugurated campaigns to eliminate polio, malaria, measles, and hepatitis B too.

Life expectancy increased from 47 to 60 between 1900 and 1930 and medical doctors had become the most respected professionals. Many become celebrities and others became martyrs, such as Dr. Walter Reed for his work on yellow fever. Vaccination was one aspect of life in the twentieth century that improved the quality of life as outlined in my book: A World Perspective through 21st Century Eyes

Subsequent to World War II, vaccine development accelerated and conquered a number of major diseases. Public health effectively grew out of the scientific advances to tame diseases besides smallpox, which included the following, to name a few: Diphtheria, Polio, Pertussis (whooping cough), Measles and Rubella, Tetanus, Mumps, Typhoid, and many more.

Military vaccinations had proved successful in shielding troops from diseases that cost millions of lives in previous wars. Soldiers were inoculated to prevent typhoid fever, tetanus, smallpox, cholera, and the plague. It raised the power of this preventive technique to comparable status with "antibiotics, isolation, sanitation, and better disease treatment in general." For example, filtered water and pasteurized milk buried the typhoid bacterium, and therefore, it did not become a universal vaccine. Only during times of floods, for example, was the typhoid vaccine used. My mother and her family received typhoid shots from the Winnipeg Health Department during the Great Flood of 1950.

By 1955, government and public health officials had helped raise the life expectancy to 70 years, owing to better nutrition and housing, improved sanitation systems, vaccines, and other drugs. People respected the medical authorities and continued to get their shots.

Viruses do not grow like bacteria and so were harder to isolate in the lab. Once this problem was solved, and virus mutations in cells could be reproduced, viral vaccines were developed. Smallpox was the first due to trial and error, while polio was the second viral vaccine, but it used proven laboratory science. As Allen writes, "90 percent of Americans knew about the Salk trials in May 1954, more than could give Dwight D. Eisenhower's name."

Vaccinations played a big role in society. They helped to produce healthier and better-protected children, which made it easier for women to work outside of the home. Some critics of vaccinations believe shots like chicken pox and Hib were developed to prevent sick children from keeping either caregiver in a family at home with their children for weeks at a time. Allen shares the fact that vaccines, in part, "played a role in the legalization of abortion, the disabled rights movement, and the creation of the welfare state." Inoculations came just in time with the rise in daycare centers as the family unit became smaller and women entered the work force in huge numbers; expectations of equality, fair treatment, and access to public resources arose from the civil rights movement; and, more people were traveling around the world spreading germs among different countries.

With the decline in disease, people became complacent and would let vaccination schedules lapse late in the twentieth century. Some parents would object to getting shots but they comprised the minority. Most parents, however, understood the importance of protection and ensuring the bigger community would not sustain the spread of disease. For those that did not, there was the 1944 Supreme Court Case ruling, in Prince vs. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which stated that "parents may be free to become martyrs themselves. But it does not follow that they are free...to make martyrs of their children." Parents were compelled to have their children vaccinated or else the government would do it for them.

I recommend this book for everyone since all of us have received a number of vaccinations and continue to get them for a number of reasons, many of them personal. I continue to get a tetanus shot every decade while my Dad gets his flu shot every year. Allen's book explores the history of vaccination and the pros and cons of getting shots as the years have gone by. He looks at how government regulators made them safer, while causing fewer side effects in an ever-decreasing small percentage of the population.

Remember to also check out this work at your convenience: A World Perspective through 21st Century Eyes