‘A matter of commonsense’: the Coventry poliomyelitis epidemic 1957 and the British public

Gareth Millward

doi:10.1080/13619462.2016.1247701

‘A matter of commonsense’: the Coventry poliomyelitis epidemic 1957 and the British public

Gareth Millward^*

^*Kontaktforfatter

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

Abstract

In 1956, the British Ministry of Health instituted a vaccination programme against poliomyelitis, but run into myriad supply and administrative issues. When Coventry experienced an epidemic in 1957, it came to symbolise these problems. Throughout, it was claimed that the government lacked ‘common sense’. This article explores how and why ‘common sense’ was used as a rhetorical weapon in the debates over policy at the local and national level. While those claiming ‘common sense’ were often at odds with medical and administrative authorities, the arguments were often informed by deeply held beliefs about vaccination and disease.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Tidsskrift	Contemporary British History
Vol/bind	31
Udgave nummer	3
Sider (fra-til)	384-406
ISSN	1361-9462
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1080/13619462.2016.1247701
Status	Udgivet - 3. jul. 2017
Udgivet eksternt	Ja

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
Wellcome Trust Investigator Award, held by Alex Mold. [grant number WT-100586-Z-12-Z]. The author would like to thank Alex Mold, Harriet Palfreyman, Martin Moore and Dora Vargha for their notes and feedback on earlier drafts of this article.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Finansiering

Wellcome Trust Investigator Award, held by Alex Mold. [grant number WT-100586-Z-12-Z]. The author would like to thank Alex Mold, Harriet Palfreyman, Martin Moore and Dora Vargha for their notes and feedback on earlier drafts of this article.

Dokumenter og links

10.1080/13619462.2016.1247701Licens: CC BY

SDU link

Tjek adgangen til materialet i Syddansk Universitetsbiblioteks søgemaskine

Citationsformater

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‘A matter of commonsense’: the Coventry poliomyelitis epidemic 1957 and the British public

Abstract

Bibliografisk note

Finansiering

Dokumenter og links

SDU link

Fingeraftryk

Citationsformater