Vaccines have a long, long history, dating way back before Jenner. We now have evidence that villagers in medieval Europe and Asia knew of the concept (i.e. giving yourself cowpox as a way to avoid getting smallpox, etc.). The “proof of concept” has its origins in antiquity, and is known to be safe, though the “grandfather clause” (just like aspirin) — history itself serves as the “human trials” required for approval.

The anti-vaccine crowd are probably the descendants of the “precious bodily fluids” nutcases who trumped up a huge scare against fluoride in water and toothpaste (to protect teeth), chlorinization of water supplies (to kill bacteria and prevent epidemics), etc.

There’s a certain kind of anal-retentive mental illness that manifests itself in a mania in otherwise normal-seeming people. We should pity them and try to help them — not take them seriously, or, God forbid, heed their hysterical warnings.

The fact that Olbermann didn’t know any of this is hilarious.