Smallpox In 1967: A Case Study

Smallpox blankets were intentionally used to infect Native Americans during the French and Indian war. These blankets were given to them from the British as a way to get rid of them, so they can win the war and eventually get more land. By giving the infected blankets to the Natives they accomplished their goal. There is a significant amount of evidence that proves this such as letters, records from the smallpox hospital, documents from William Trent during the time of giving the blankets, and practice of inoculation. Biological warfare was used against the Natives according to the letters from Jeffery Amherst to Colonel Henry Bouquet suggesting the use of smallpox to narrow down the native population.

Over many of years the world has faced problems concerning health. Many scientists and health experts have worked together to better our nation 's health care. English Physician and Scientist Edward Jenner, a small country doctor, who is well known around the world for his innovative contribution to immunization and the ultimate eradication of smallpox. (2005, Baylor University Medical Center.) It is believed that smallpox appeared around 10,000 B.C. Smallpox was introduced to Europe sometime between the fifth and seventh centuries and was frequently epidemic during the Middle Ages. Edward Jenner was born on May 17, 1749, in Berkeley, Gloucestershire. During his early school years, Edward developed a strong interest in science and nature that continued throughout his life. Jenner’s interest in natural history and animal biology sharpened his medical understanding of the role of human-animal trans-species boundaries in disease transmission. He experienced the proverbial “Eureka”-like moment sometime during the 1770s. At age 13 he was apprenticed to a country surgeon and apothecary in Sodbury, near Bistol. The record shows that it was there Jenner heard a dairymaid say, " I shall never have smallpox for I have had cowpox. I shall never have an ugly pockmarked face." While Jenner 's interest in the effects of cowpox began during his apprenticeshire with George Harwickle, it wasn 't until 1796 before he made the first step in a long process of smallpox would be exposed. Jenner

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, as the country grew and trade flourished, periodic epidemics struck regions of the nation as population density increased. Outbreaks of influenza, cholera took over the nation, and in the south, one of the most prevalent was yellow fever. Due to these diseases, a lot of public health policies were either created or changed to better suit the new issues arising. In this essay, I will argue that the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878 brought upon many changes in the health realm in terms of public sanitation. In order to prove the epidemic s place in the history of health policies, I will be discussing the creation of the new sewer system, waste disposal techniques, and other projects created.

During the Revolutionary War, one of the main fears were not the enemies bullets, but fear of disease. One of the major viruses that people had to fear was smallpox. The continental army had more to fear than the British in the fact that British had been immunized, and the continental army had not. This was only the beginning of the problems from the smallpox epidemic that broke out in America.

With the numerous health risks coupled with the need for extremely regulated quarantine, what, exactly, forced Rhode Island’s hand into legalizing the smallpox inoculation procedure? Rhode Island’s general assembly wrote that “There is great danger that the inhabitants of the United Colonies may, by the prevalence of that distemper, be rendered incapable of defense at a time when their safety may depend upon their most vigorous exertions.” The smallpox disease, combined with the risk of an epidemic posed such a threat to the American rebel forces that colony’s official legislative bodies deemed it necessary to intervene. And this was at a time when the founding fathers of the United States believed that any form of government should play virtually

When you think of horrid diseases a couple will come to mind. One of the ones that comes to my mind is Polio. Even though this disease is virtually eradicated, it was once rampant. Paralyzing and killing children, there was no treatment or cure for this horrendous disease. As stated by Indiana Jen, “It wasn’t until the 1960s that the Salk vaccine was developed enough to provide immunity to 99% of recipients.” Nowadays, most adults and children never have been touched by the disease and fail to recall that it was once a killer of children.

This article was unique to read because it was actually selected excerpts from the Cumberland House journals of 1781 and 1782. Each excerpt described what kind of person was being affected such as age and gender and then described where the smallpox rash was first noticed. Smallpox was first brought to Mexico by the Spaniards in 1520, later reached Massachusetts and extended west a century later. On each occasion, it occurred in an epidemic form with an extremely high mortality rate. This article describes the first recorded smallpox epidemic on the western plains. The excerpts were handwritten diaries of daily events. The chroniclers were William Tomison and Matthew Cocking. Tomison’s account of the smallpox epidemic just 20 years before Jenner

Smallpox is caused by the variola virus an extremely contagious disease. That can be spread through any type of contact with the virus. The virus is a member of the genus Orthopoxvirus, in the Poxviridae family. Smallpox has been considered eradicated in the United States since 1972. Virologists have speculated that it evolved from an African rodent poxvirus 10 millennia ago. The name is derived from the Latin word for "spotted" and refers to the raised bumps on the face and body of the patient. (Medscape.com) Smallpox has been to blame for the extinction and almost extinction of many cultures. The disease has been used as biological warfare since the beginning or war. At times,

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”).

To date, there is only one case at which an entire disease being eradicated, eliminated worldwide. In 1966-1980, a global smallpox eradication program went underway, and with the help of the countries worldwide it was successfully eradicated.

Small Pox is an infectious disease that causes a fever and rash. The term “pox” comes from the Latin word for spotted. It also refers to the raised bumps that appear on the face and body of an infected person. Small Pox is cause by the Variola virus that appeared many years ago. There are two rudimentary patterns of small pox: Variola minor and Variola major, which is the worst and most common of the two. The earliest known death was Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses. Could it be a coincidence that the disease also originated from Eygpt? Edward Jenner was the “man” in 1796. He was experimenting and proved that small pox was closely related to cow pox. He would then make a key breakthrough in his discovery by concluding that it would protect against smallpox.

By 1542, the Taino population that Columbus encountered on the island of Hispianiola lost more than 90 percent of its three million peoples and were extinct only a decade or two after. Natives in other parts of the Americas also faced decimated by smallpox and other diseases. Because of population loss, the social structures and the cultures of various Indian tribes changed dramatically; many traditions and knowledge was lost to history when religious and political leaders and elders succumbed to smallpox. But one of the greatest impact of smallpox was the imbalance of natives and whites, creating a system of racism and culture. The loss of natives' labor prompted colonists to import African slaves, altering the genetic composition of the population.

Smallpox epidemics had struck the tribes of the Upper Missouri at least twice before the terrible epidemic of 1837. The earlier epidemics of 1781 and 1801 took the lives of thousands of Mandans, Hidatsas, and Arikaras and forced them to move north to re-build their villages near the mouth of the Knife River. However, not long after the earthlodge villages became established on the Knife, they experienced the worst smallpox epidemic

The rise of American plague more than 100 years ago reflects the versatility to adapt to a new set of vectors and hosts. We note some apparent limitations to explain the popular hypotheses plague persistence and again earlier statements to plague persistence it deserves reconsideration. Especially the potential key role of the flea as vector and Host must support endemic reservoir could help explain continued sylvatic plague between infrequent

When a vaccine is given, the human body produces antibodies against the foreign substance, thus creating a defense mechanism for immunity to occur. A vaccine is defined as “any preparation used as a preventive inoculation to confer immunity against a specific disease, usually employing an innocuous form of the disease agent, as killed or weakened bacteria or viruses, to stimulate antibody production” (dictionary.com). The epidemic of smallpox is one of the most groundbreaking moments in medical history, It created the usage of vaccination to be extremely normal. Smallpox had managed to kill millions of people, which was a large part of the population at the time. Edward Jenner came up with a vaccine that could treat the outbreak of smallpox. It only took around fourteen years to see that smallpox was no longer something people needed to fear. The vaccine for smallpox is one of the greatest evidence that vaccines can ad do work. When it comes to children being vaccinated parents seems to always have a extremely strong opinion. Though there is typically no lack of vaccines being distributed there still are some parents that delay vaccinations because they are genuinely concerned about severe allergic reactions or long-term side effects. Times went on and vaccines have become extremely common in America. Although some people view new medicine negatively, we can not disregard the fact that it has the capability to heal people because over time as it has proven throughout