On Immunity: An Inoculation

Eula Biss’s 'On Immunity: An Inoculation' emerges from the primal anxieties of new motherhood, using that intimate vantage point to launch a sweeping cultural and historical investigation. The book is not a medical manual but a literary excavation of the myths, metaphors, and collective fears that surround the concept of immunity. Biss positions vaccination not merely as a clinical procedure but as a profound social contract, a test of our commitment to one another. Through a polymathic lens, Biss traces the intellectual lineage of immunization from Edward Jenner’s first smallpox vaccine to contemporary anti-vaccination movements. She engages with a startling range of references—from Voltaire’s 'Candide' and Bram Stoker’s 'Dracula' to Rachel Carson’s 'Silent Spring' and Susan Sontag’s work on illness as metaphor. This methodology reveals how our understanding of disease has been persistently shaped by language, often conflating biological threat with societal fear of the 'other.' The analysis extends beyond Western borders, examining global repercussions, such as the murder of vaccine workers in Pakistan and Nigeria fueled by conspiracy theories. Domestically, Biss scrutinizes phenomena like 'chickenpox parties' and the vilification of scientists like Dr. Paul Offit, framing them as symptoms of a deeper cultural pathology. She argues that the rugged individualist fantasy of the body as a sovereign homestead is biologically incoherent and socially destructive. Ultimately, 'On Immunity' is a work of moral philosophy disguised as a memoir. It makes a compelling case for reimagining immunity not as a wall but as a web—a shared, fragile condition that binds us. The book’s significance lies in its elegant synthesis of personal narrative, cultural criticism, and ethical argument, offering a vital antidote to the isolationist thinking that threatens public health.