ABSTRACT
Narratives abound when it comes to ethical and moral issues concerning vaccination. Although some of these stories are easily dismissed, others are harder to ignore and they make their way into court cases and on television, and are transmitted more informally through regular folklore channels. These legends require consideration, primarily because they tell us much about the underlying fears and concerns of the lay public as well as those in the medical profession, legal profession, and those who deal with the ethics of such cases. In this chapter, I will discuss some of these tales told by medical professionals, consider how these stories are linked to both legend and personal experience narrative, examine the function of these stories for specifi c folk groups, and address some of the ethical issues behind both these stories and the greater issue of vaccination.
