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HISTORY OF SMALL POX
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History of Small Pox
Shelby Engel
Concordia University
HHP 181
Dr. Janousek
September 27, 2011
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History of Small Pox
Small pox was believed to have originated, around 10,000 BC, in Africa and then spread
throughout India from Egyptian merchants (Riedel, 2005). The first smallpox epidemic was
recorded in 1350 BC. According to Brannon, smallpox was a significant disease in every country
except for Australia and a few small isolated islands. Many people died in Europe and Mexico
from the smallpox epidemic (2004). Some experts also say that smallpox has killed more people
than many other infectious diseases combined (The New York Times, 2007).
Smallpox was a disease that greatly affected the Western Civilization. Unknown to the
world, this disease was brought by the Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors (Riedel, 2005, pg.
21). Smallpox greatly reduced the population. “In the 18Th century in Europe, 400,000 people
died annually, and one third of the survivors went blind” (Riedel, 2005, pg. 21). The adult death
rate ranged from 20% to 60%, and most of the survivors were left with disfigurations and scars.
The infant death rate ranged from 80% to 98% in the late 1800s (Riedel, 2005, pg. 21). People
commonly used the name “variola” to define smallpox. This word means “mark on the skin”.
Survivors of smallpox then became immune to this disease. In 430 BC, some of the survivors of
smallpox were often asked to help nurse the patients who currently had smallpox. Also during
the medieval times, many doctors would use types of herbal remedies, cold treatments, and
special cloths to help treat or even prevent smallpox. In 1624-1698, a doctor by the name of Dr.
Sydenham believed he could cure is patients by leaving all of the windows opened all the time,
having no fire in the room, having the bed sheets no higher than their waist, and giving them
twelve small bottles of beer every twenty-four hours (Riedel, 2005, pg. 22).
The most current outbreak occurred in Texas, in 1949, where there were eight cases and
one death. At this time most of North America was free from smallpox, but there were several
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countries who still suffered from this epidemic. In 1972, the United States stopped giving
vaccinations to the general population, but kept giving them to the military. According to the
CDC (Center for Disease Control), people who received the vaccination have the same risk of
getting smallpox as the people who haven’t had the vaccination (The New York Times, 2007).
The last epidemic happened in Somalia during 1977 (Brannon, 2004). “On May 8, 1980, the
World Health Assembly declared the world free of smallpox” (Brannon, 2004).
Today there are concerns that smallpox could be reintroduced into the general population.
Smallpox could be easily released in the form of aerosol because this specific virus is very stable
in this form. Smallpox is highly contagious and can be spread easily from one person to another.
During the first week it is the most dangerous. It can be spread through saliva and be contagious
until the scabs fall off of the skin. This disease can also spread from clothing and bedding. With
smallpox going back as early as 430 BC it is now easier for doctors to detect the symptoms.
Some of the symptoms people may have are high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, backache, severe
headache, or a raised rash that fills with pus and then become crusty after about eight or nine
days (The New York Times, 2007).
If a person receives the vaccination within one to four days of exposure, the can help
prevent the sickness or at least help with the sickness. Treatment for smallpox is limited. There
are several effects that can come with smallpox. People can get pneumonia, eye infections, brain
inflammation, and as stated earlier many of these cases are fatal. There is also a rare chance for
people to get encephalitis. The chance of getting this is one out of 300,000 people (The New
York Times, 2007). The U.S. is prepared for if smallpox is to ever reappear. “According to the
CDC, the United States has a supply of smallpox vaccine sufficient for the entire population at
this time” (The New York Times, 2007). As also stated earlier, vaccinations are not being given
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to people of the general public. In 2003, there were no vaccines given to anyone other than
military personal. Today there is still review of smallpox vaccinations, which includes both
current and new vaccines (The New York Times, 2007).
Summary
Smallpox originated way back around 10,000 BC where it first entered into Africa and
quickly spread through India and China. This disease was in almost every single country except
for Australia and a few isolated islands (Riedel, 2005 pg.21). Today doctors have been able to
notice the early signs and are able to detect early on. The United States hasn’t seen a case since
1949 and stopped giving vaccinations in 1972, but they are still prepared if smallpox ever comes
back around (The New York Times, 2007).
Reference List
HISTORY OF SMALL POX
Brannon, H. (September 25, 2004). The History of Small Pox: The rise and fall of a disease. In
About.com, Dermatology. From
http://dermatology.about.com/cs/smallpox/a/smallpoxhx.htm.
McNeil, D. (2007, June 20). A multitude of vaccine benefits, yet controversy persists. The New
York Times.
Riedel, S. (2005). Edward Jenner and the history of smallpox and vaccination. PubMed Central,
18: 21-25. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1200696/
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