Not Quite a Cancer Vaccine

In Not Quite a Cancer Vaccine , medical anthropologist S.D. Gottlieb explores how the vaccine Gardasil—developed against the most common sexually-transmitted infection, human papillomavirus (HPV)—was marketed primarily as a cervical cancer vaccine. Gardasil quickly became implicated in two pre-existing debates—about adolescent sexuality and pediatric vaccinations more generally. Prior to its market debut, Gardasil seemed to offer female empowerment, touting protection against HPV and its potenti