Immunization and hygiene in the colonial Philippines

Vaccination and the enforcement of stipulations of personal hygiene can be viewed as different mechanisms of colonial government. Immunization campaigns reach and register populations, but they may also appear to obviate the need for behavioral reform. Hygiene education implies the development of a disciplined, self-governing citizenry, although in the colonial setting validation of such attainment is usually deferred. This article explores the tension between mechanisms of security (immunization) and drill (hygiene) in the Philippines, under the United States' colonial regime, in the early twentieth century.