Smallpox is/was a serious infectious disease caused by the variola virus. Originating in the agricultural valleys of the great rivers in Africa and India, it was highly contagious and was responsible for killing millions of humans without regard for race, color, creed, character, religion or social status. Those infected with Smallpox had a fever and developed the “signature” symptom of a skin rash that developed into pustules that are extremely painful. This disease dates back to ancient times, from Roman times (known then as the Antonine plague) to the 20th century. It has terrorized humanity up until it was eradicated by the year 1980. Smallpox was most notably responsible for the fall of the Aztec Empire and “aided” Hernan Cortes in conquering them. What led to the eradication to this disease? How did early humans deal with this terror?
Early “treatments” for Smallpox before the development of the vaccine were archaic. Many involved prayer and quack remedies. For example, in ancient Africa and Asia there were smallpox gods and goddesses that could be enlisted for protection. Another example is in 1314, Englishman John of Gaddesden suggested Smallpox victims could be helped by the color red, so those infected were dressed in red. Some of these bogus remedies continued up until the 1930s. Prior to the vaccine, there were other techniques to induce “inoculation” – or variolation (since the virus’s name dervied from the Latin word varus). The Chinese avoided contact with infected individuals and would have the person inhale power from the dried scabs shed by recovering patients or given powdered scabs to be inserted into their nostrils. In the East and Africa, material from a pustule was rubbed into a cut or scratch in the skin. Variolation was famously used by General George Washington in the American Revolutionary War prior to his taking of Boston. Today, prevention of smallpox is often assoicated with Edward Jenner’s method of turning a folktale into a reliable protection against Smallpox; that is, those who contracted cowpox developed mild reactions. After, neither cows nor humans developed any other symptoms. It is important to note that not everyone in that time wanted Jenner’s “vaccine” or methods for them or their children. After submitting his findings to the Royal Society, he came to find that his manuscript was rejected due to him being a lowly country doctor and not part of the scientific community. He faced reticule by popular press at the time and physicians rejected his ideas. However, he later gained great wealth, fame and respect for his findings. As a result of Jenner and his “vaccine”, controversy over vaccination rose.
Up until the 1900s, there were Anti-Vaccination Societies that believed the practice of vaccination to be dangerous and a violation of their rights and liberties. A good example is the “Milwaukee Riots’ in 1890. The city of Milwaukee pursued a strict policy of enforcement i.e. removing children suspected of being infected from their homes and placing them in the city’s isolation hospital. The residents fought back and protested, sometimes violently. The controversy did not end there. In 1901, a smallpox epidemic broke out in Boston. The Board of Health in the city established “virus squads” with orders that all inhabitants of the city must be vaccinated/re-vaccinated and forced to get the vaccine. In 1905, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that although the state could not pass laws requiring vaccination in order to protect an individual, it could do so to protect the public in the case of a dangerous-communicable disease. Despite having good intentions, health boards and the government violated civil liberties for the common good. There are pros and cons to compulsory vaccination – the pros to this compulsory vaccination being containment and prevention of an epidemic and saving lives. The cons being that not everyone wants these vaccinations and if they choose to not partake, it could lead to the spreading of the disease and fatalities. The problem (problem used loosely in this instance) is that people decide what happens to them and their bodies – something that is still a hot topic of debate in 2018 via abortion.
HR: Sources on canvas, WHO, CDC.gov, most of the information came from “The Power of Plagues” by Irwin W. Sherman