Thomas Levenson is a teacher, author and documentary filmmaker. He is Professor of Science Writing and Director of the Graduate Program in Science Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). As well as writing articles and reviews, he is the author of Einstein in Berlin, Newton and the Counterfeiter, The Hunt for Vulcan, Money for Nothing and So Very Small.

This is a passionate book, on a subject that deservedly raises passions. Lethal epidemics of smallpox, polio, measles, pertussis and COVID-19 have been parallelled by memetic epidemics of anti-vaccine scare-mongering. Thomas Levenson documents the history, from honestly mistaken sceptics of previous centuries (Alfred Russell Wallace, Herbert Spencer) to today’s villains (Andrew Wakefield, Donald Trump) and charlatans (Robert Kennedy Jr). At a time when vaccine science should be celebrating its greatest triumphs, this book could hardly be more important.

Thomas Levenson is a teacher, author and documentary filmmaker. He is Professor of Science Writing and Director of the Graduate Program in Science Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). As well as writing articles and reviews, he is the author of Einstein in Berlin, Newton and the Counterfeiter, The Hunt for Vulcan, Money for Nothing and So Very Small.

This is a passionate book, on a subject that deservedly raises passions. Lethal epidemics of smallpox, polio, measles, pertussis and COVID-19 have been parallelled by memetic epidemics of anti-vaccine scare-mongering. Thomas Levenson documents the history, from honestly mistaken sceptics of previous centuries (Alfred Russell Wallace, Herbert Spencer) to today’s villains (Andrew Wakefield, Donald Trump) and charlatans (Robert Kennedy Jr). At a time when vaccine science should be celebrating its greatest triumphs, this book could hardly be more important.

Thomas Levenson is a teacher, author and documentary filmmaker. He is Professor of Science Writing and Director of the Graduate Program in Science Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). As well as writing articles and reviews, he is the author of Einstein in Berlin, Newton and the Counterfeiter, The Hunt for Vulcan, Money for Nothing and So Very Small.

This is a passionate book, on a subject that deservedly raises passions. Lethal epidemics of smallpox, polio, measles, pertussis and COVID-19 have been parallelled by memetic epidemics of anti-vaccine scare-mongering. Thomas Levenson documents the history, from honestly mistaken sceptics of previous centuries (Alfred Russell Wallace, Herbert Spencer) to today’s villains (Andrew Wakefield, Donald Trump) and charlatans (Robert Kennedy Jr). At a time when vaccine science should be celebrating its greatest triumphs, this book could hardly be more important.