Bioterrorism in the literature of the nineteenth century: The case of Wells and The Stolen Bacillus

Abstract

This article analyzes H.G. Wells’ The Stolen Bacillus, one of the first works of fiction to deal with bioterrorism. Although the use of biological agents by armies in warfare is probably as old as mankind, since the last Iraq War, the fear of biological agents being used in terrorist attacks has increased. Although bioterrorism might seem a problem beginning in the late twentieth century, Wells’ short story, written in 1894, foreboded the threat of an attack with biological agents. The article reviews previous analyses of this work of fiction, contextualizes it in Victorian British society’s beliefs about anarchism and discoveries in bacteriology, and discusses other possible influences on Wells’ work of fiction