‘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^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › 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.

Original language	English
Journal	Contemporary British History
Volume	31
Issue number	3
Pages (from-to)	384-406
ISSN	1361-9462
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/13619462.2016.1247701
Publication status	Published - 3. Jul 2017
Externally published	Yes

Funding

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.

Keywords

media
medicine
policy
public health
Vaccination

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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 {\textquoteleft}common sense{\textquoteright}. This article explores how and why {\textquoteleft}common sense{\textquoteright} was used as a rhetorical weapon in the debates over policy at the local and national level. While those claiming {\textquoteleft}common sense{\textquoteright} were often at odds with medical and administrative authorities, the arguments were often informed by deeply held beliefs about vaccination and disease.",

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AB - 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.

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

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