This study focuses on two widely circulating memes in the anti-vaccination movement, namely lists of vaccine ingredients containing mercury, and quotes attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. Mercury has been identified by conspiracy theorists as one of the most harmful components of vaccines, and Gandhi, who has condemned vaccination practices, has been celebrated as a significant source of authority. Quotes attributed to Gandhi against vaccination, complete with picture and embellished font, circulate across various popular platforms, as do intimidating images of syringes dipped in poison coupled with a list of seemingly occult or dangerous ingredients. This article analyses both memes, moving from the imageboard 4chan to the search engine Google Images, and illustrates how the repurposed, often ironic use of visual tropes can either undermine or strengthen the claims that accompany them. The aim is to explore the intersections of conspiracy theory, visual rhetoric, and digital communication in order to elucidate the ambiguity of memes as vehicles for the spread of controversial health-related information.

中文翻译：

---

甘地和汞在反疫苗接种话语中的模因

这项研究的重点是在反疫苗运动中广泛流传的两种模因，即含汞疫苗成分清单和圣雄甘地的引语。阴谋理论家将汞确定为疫苗中最有害的成分之一，而谴责疫苗接种做法的甘地也被认为是重要的权威来源。甘地反对疫苗接种的行情，包括图片和点缀的字体，在各种流行的平台上广为流传，带有吓人作用的浸有毒药的注射器的图片以及一系列看似隐匿或危险的成分也是如此。本文分析了两种模因，它们从图像板4chan移至搜索引擎Google图像，并说明了如何重新定位目标，具有讽刺意味的通常是对视觉比喻的使用会破坏或加强伴随它们的主张。目的是探索阴谋理论，视觉修辞学和数字通信的交集，以阐明模因作为传播有争议的健康相关信息的手段的含糊之处。