The Journal of Doctor Benjamin Rush: Smallpox Research during The Revolutionary War

Ann Becker the author of the article “Smallpox in Washington's Army: Strategic Implications of the Disease During the American Revolutionary War,” discusses in her article of the disease Small Pox affected the how the militaries powers while they fought during the American Revolutionary War. Becker explains how during the war nearly took out a large population of the American military because so many soldiers were impacted by the disease. This then affected how the fought during war. Becker states that the virus was extremely deadly and contagious; she stated “It was the most deforming and lethal of the plague-like epidemics of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.” The soldiers who suffered through this disease, rarely got over it, and

What is smallpox? The internet has defined it as an “acute contagious immune disease, with fever and pustules (small bumps on the skin filled with pus) that will usually will leave scars.” Smallpox originated in India and Egypt over 3,000 years ago. After that it slowly started to progress to other areas across the world. It then started to show itself in places like Africa, Europe and then after a few years later, finally made it’s way into the Americas during the 1500’s.

There are many mysteries about the smallpox virus. Since the seventeenth century, doctors have understood that if the pustules merge into sheets across the body the victim will usually die: the virus has split the whole skin. If the victim survives, the pustules turn into scabs and fall off, leaving scars. This is known as ordinary smallpox.

become known as pustules. The rash becomes fully developed between 12 and 14 days after the symptoms of the disease appear. As the disease follows its course, symptoms become more and more severe and uncomfortable for the patient. Red spots on the patient begin to turn black, while others turn white, the individual experiences strong delirium, hemorrhages of blood at the anus, mouth, and nose, raw flesh from the stripping of the skin, and fistulous ulcers in the ligaments, body, limbs, and joints. Smallpox is also associated with the unbelievable amount of swelling and protuberance in the throat and eyes, which obstruct vision as well as the ability to swallow and perform similar functions. The virus also causes the rotting of the ligaments and bones.

Smallpox is extremely dangerous because there is no known cure. Smallpox can spread through the air and physical contact with the pox marks or anything that the pox marks touch. The Variola Virus spread so quickly that it caused over 50 million infections per year. Symptoms of Smallpox include vomiting, chills, fever, rashes, malaise, blisters,

There are a couple symptoms to smallpox, mostly affecting your skin. The first couple of days, it will begin with normal symptoms of a fever. Eventually, there will be body aches, headaches, and you will begin to feel weaker. Small, round blisters appear all around the body. Within a week, the pox becomes filled with pus and gets bigger. Then eventually, the blisters crust and stomach pains will most likely occur. Within the next couple of weeks, the blisters become scabs and they fall off, which result in scars on the skin. You could get scars, blindness and your hands and feet could get deformed. The scars stay on your body.

There are numerous symptoms that come with the smallpox disease. In the early age of the disease, symptoms include, a fever, vomiting, weakness, and body aches. These symptoms usually last for up to four days. The person that is effected by smallpox would have a fever within 101 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Armed with opposable thumbs and high-functioning frontal lobes, humans have historically battled disease, including the “the speckled monster”; smallpox. Known as a highly contagious virus, smallpox has been around since 10,000 B.C., and its plagues are responsible for causing millions of deaths. There was no knowledge of how to treat or prevent this disease from spreading until the idea of taking samples of dead smallpox cells and injecting them into a human was proven to build immunity. Over time, the treatment was perfected and has changed medical history by introducing the idea of the vaccine. Smallpox vaccinations eventually became mandated, and in 1979, smallpox was declared to be the first disease to ever be completely eradicated from

Smallpox was once one of the most severe infectious diseases that was endemic throughout the world for most of the recorded history. It is caused by variola virus (a DNA virus and a member of the Poxviridae family), and characterized by three phases: incubation, prodrome and rash. This disease killed and disfigured innumerable millions of people globally.

Smallpox is an acute contagious viral disease, with fever and pustules usually leaving permanent scars. Although there is no cure, there is a vaccine that can help protect you from it. It is called vaccinia and is a poxvirus closely related to the smallpox. Live vaccinia infects the people but it does not make them sick. A smallpox particle can either make or consist of around two hundred different types of protein. In the center of the mulberry of a smallpox particle, there is an odd shape that looks like a dumbbell, this is the

Smallpox comes from variola major virus. It is transmitted through inhalation by droplet infection (contact with contagious body fluids). Individuals can also become infected through direct contact with contaminated clothing or bedding. There are two types of smallpox. The Variola virus; major and minor. The more deadly form of the virus, Variola major, generally killed up to twenty five percent of the people infected and accounted for over ninety percent of all cases (Sherman, 2007). Populations that had never been exposed to the virus would however have fatality rates that would exceed fifty percent. The Variola minor pathogen had a rate of death that was much lower. At two percent it was more common in Europe in the17th century before the deadlier pathogen of the virus was reintroduced. It then became a common and

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”).

Smallpox is a disease that has a very high infection rate within the human population. It is a pathogen caused by the Variola virus, of which the symptoms of this are high fever, head and body aches, and sometimes vomiting. There are two forms of smallpox, Variola major and Variola minor. Variola major is the most common of the cases which involves a higher fever and more extensive rash. However there are actually four different types of the Variola major and they are: Ordinary which is 90% of the cases, Modified which is mild and occurs in previously vaccinated people. And then there is Flat and Hemorrhagic, both are rare cases but very severe and fatal. The Flat-type which affects 5% of people with Variola

“The symptoms of smallpox, or the “speckled monster” as it was known in 18th-century England, appeared suddenly and the effects were devastating.

Smallpox also causes nausea, fatigue and tiredness. If there ever was an outbreak of the smallpox disease one would prevent getting it by isolating themselves from certain infected people as well as have been given the smallpox vaccine to decrease chances of getting it. If an individual gets smallpox, it is best to get the smallpox vaccines as this is the best and only treatment for this disease. This vaccine help the body develop a strong immune to the virus, it consists of a live ‘good’ virus called ‘vaccinia’ which must be cared for properly or will have side effects.