Pox Americana, Elizabeth A. Fenn

In the article “1491” by Charles Mann , Mann also talks about the most devastating impact from the contact between Europeans and Americans came from the spread of biological agents like smallpox, smallpox had the most effect on the Americas’ native populations there population could of been destroyed stated in the article that “Dobyns estimated that in the first 130 years of contact about 95 percent of the people in the Americas died—the worst demographic calamity in recorded history.” This shows just how serious smallpox was on people considering that they had no immunity to these diseases and because of this it was able to cause a major loss of population and of the people who lived they were still heavily affected by it. Mann also states “It is well known that Native Americans had no experience with many European diseases and were therefore immunologically unprepared—"virgin soil," in

This article focused on depopulation via smallpox. “Within just a few generations, the continents of the Americas were virtually emptied of their native inhabitants – some academics estimate that approximately 20 million people may have died in the years following the European invasion – up to 95% of the population of the Americas.” The article goes on to describe the transmission process of smallpox, incubation period, and symptoms of the disease. It then discusses the fact that diseases such as smallpox, influenza and measles were a product of the European society, specifically livestock farming and close interaction with domesticated livestock. Though smallpox outbreaks would occur in Europe, killing major portions of the population, some would survive and build immunities which they genetically passed to the next generations. Because the Native Americans had no exposure to smallpox and no genetic immunities, exposure to this virus was deadly all across the continent. “More victims of colonization were killed by Eurasian germs, than by either the gun or the sword, making germs the deadliest agent of conquest.”

Smallpox is an extremely deadly disease which, in one point in time, was the most feared disease on the planet. In the book Pox Americana, Elizabeth A. Fenn writes about the encounter with the deadly disease in the 1770's to the 1780's. Her book was first published in 2001 in New York City, where she originally wrote it. Her book contains just under 400 words that explain the disease, some of the first encounters with it, who and where it affected people, and how they got the epidemic under control. Pox Americana is a very informative book that teaches the reader various things.

I looked at everything I could access related to smallpox. The writings included many references to

Residents of crowded European cities were familiar with many infectious diseases, but the people of Salem did not expect to be crippled by smallpox. Between mid to late 17th century, the New England colonies experienced multiple smallpox epidemics, Boston alone had a 14.1% mortality rate with more than 800 deaths among inoculated persons. (CITE #4) Cotton Mather was a renowned preacher who had studied medicine at Harvard. Although he advocated inoculation, which would have helped alleviate

The book is primarily an account of the Smallpox Eradication Program (1967–80), the ongoing perception by the U.S. government that smallpox is still a potential bioterrorism agent, and the controversy over whether or not the remaining samples of smallpox virus in Atlanta and Moscow (the “demon” in the freezer) should be finally destroyed.

In the 1500s, the Conquistadors came to the new world from Europe. After the Conquistadors came and conquered the new world many Native Americans fell ill with the diseases brought from Europe. After the Europeans entered the new world an estimated 15 to 20 million Native Americans died (doc 5). A majority of these deaths were due to the introduction of smallpox from Europe to the new world (doc 5). This is because the majority of the Native American population did not have the immunity to these diseases as the

The history of the United States began with Virginia and Massachusetts; their histories begin with epidemics of unidentified diseases. Smallpox was the worst and the most amusing diseases that were out. Smallpox were just killing down all the Native Americans, they didn’t know what to do with it all. The epidemic destroyed half of the Cherokee in 1738, in 1759 almost half of the Catawba’s, in the first years of the next century two-thirds of the Omaha’s and perhaps half of the population between the Missouri River and New Mexico.

When Captain Pánfilo de Narváez landed, there was a slave on his ship who was stricken with smallpox, a disease which has never been seen before (Motolinía’s History of the Indians of New Spain). Smallpox had an immense effect on Latin America during the 16th century. Smallpox began its attack in New Spain, where there was a large population of Indians. Throughout the land, in most provinces more than half the population perished. According to the map provided, smallpox affected the Native American peoples from Central America, stretching all the way down to South America. Smallpox affected social order in Latin America. Although the disease spread throughout Latin America by the people themselves, they believed it was caused by supernatural forces. They also blamed animals for the breakout. They killed as many fish as they could, to prevent the disease from spreading any

The transmission of the smallpox was yet another unavoidable disease that was constantly contracted. “The Negroes are so incident to the smallpox that few ships that carry them escape without it.” (Document B) “pain in the head, back, shivering, vomiting, fever, etc.” (Document B) Due to the small living conditions, diseases, such as the Smallpox, were easily transmitted and passed throughout the

This shows how diminished the Native American tribes and villages became due to these spreading epidemics. Smallpox cost the lives of so many people and forced consolidation between tribes to the point where they had to discontinue

This time thousands of civilian lives were endangered including his very own army. His success of defeating the British army could solely rely on whether or not he properly contained smallpox. General Washington not only had to worry about winning the war, but he also had to worry about all of his troops dying off before they even got there. General Washington was faced with a difficult choice: whether or not to inoculate his army. Inoculated troops would develop a mild case of the disease. Then they would be immune to smallpox. Although the choice of inoculating his soldiers sounds seemingly easy, it was anything but. There were several things that could go wrong with inoculation of an

A common misconception regarding George is that he was just a military commander. Although true, Washington served his army passionately, regarding their health, safety and loyalty above all else. As a harsh winter set in Morristown, New Jersey in 1777, a large amount of his men contracted smallpox. In an effort to help his men, he had them all inoculated against the disease; a rare practice during the period. Elizabeth Fenn, historian and author of Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-1782 writes that “Washington's unheralded and little-recognized resolution to inoculate the Continental forces must surely rank with the most important decisions of the war."

Imagine a quick spreading rash throughout the entire body, leaving not a single space behind; every opening and crevice in your body, including your mouth and eyes covered in painful bumps accompanied by high fever and severe body aches. Flat red spots transforming into fluid-filled lesions and soon oozing out yellow pus, evidently emitting a pungent odor to anyone who dared get close. The live virus present in the darkening crusty scabs that would soon fall off only to leave behind a deep pitted scarred filled complexion on anyone who was fortunate enough to survive. These scars would be forever remembered as the hallmark for the smallpox epidemic which tormented the world for over 3,000 years. (Riedel “Deadly Diseases”).

The American Plague, Molly Caldwell Crosby’s nonfiction novel, accounts the journey of yellow fever from an African virus to the remarkably deadly epidemic that shaped American history in an often overlooked way. Crosby’s novel aims to give insight to the historical impact of yellow fever in the Americas, especially the United States. The novel guides through the history of the titular “American Plague”, yellow fever, in three main parts: its height epidemic in the United States, specifically in Memphis, the Commission to find the cause and vaccine for it, in Cuba, and the effects and presence the epidemic has in the present.