I didn't know about
the controversy over smallpox vaccination in its earliest days in England. Mind you, it sounds like the anti compulsory vaxxers had something to worry about, given the technique:
In 19th century Britain, the only vaccine widely available to the public was against smallpox. Vaccination involved
making a series of deep cuts to the arm of the child into which the
doctor would insert matter from the wound of a previously vaccinated
child.
These open wounds left many children vulnerable to infections, blood
poisoning and gangrene. Parents and anti-vaccination campaigners alike
described the gruesome scenes that often accompanied the procedure, like
this example from the Royal Cornwall Gazette from December 1886:
Some of these poor infants have been borne of pillows for weeks, decaying alive before death ended their sufferings.
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