Smallpox: A History

Scientifically known as Variola major, the deadliest form of smallpox has plagued mankind since "time immemorial." This text chronicles the worldwide effects of the killer disease, with particular emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries, including the devastations of the "speckled disease" during great armed conflicts. Specific attention is paid to the development and utilization of Dr. Edward Jenner's vaccination, chronicling the anti-vaccination movement, the evolving concept of compulsory vaccination and the global march toward eradication. Legal and moral challenges, the National Vaccine Institute, the treatment of American Indians and African Americans, immigrants, the often bloody quarantine battles, germ warfare, superstitions and home remedies are addressed from the historical perspectives of those who lived through and those who died of this scourge.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Preface  1. Smallpox “from time immemorial”  2. Enter Inoculation  3. Smallpox in the New World  4. Cotton Mather and Smallpox Inoculation in the American Colonies  5. “This Distemper Is the King of Terrors”: Smallpox and the American Revolution  6. The Father of Immunology  7. “This inestimable discovery”  8. “The state of medicine is worse than that of total ignorance”  9. The Battle for Vaccination in the Early Years of the Republic 10. Testimonies to the High Value of Esteem 11. Compulsory Vaccination 12. The Health and Well-Being of the General Populace 13. The Vaccine Institution and Beyond 14. The American Indian Vaccination Act 15. Quarantines and Death Statistics 16. The Quarantine Wars 17. The Contagion of Smallpox 18. The Blue, the Gray and the Speckled 19. The Last Full Measure of Devotion 20. The Non-Eradication of Smallpox in England 21. The Franco-Prussian War and the Smallpox Pandemic of 1870–1874 22. Case Studies of Misdiagnosis 23. Smallpox: Variola, Varioloid and Vaccinia 24. The Hoffman Block Outrage and Other Stories 25. Smallpox in Canada and England Through the 1880s 26. “Providence does a great deal for us, the city fathers nothing” 27. Of Rags and Railroads 28. School Boards Win Some and Lose Some 29. Anti-Vaccination Hysteria in Great Britain 30. Incidence of Smallpox Worldwide Up to the 20th Century 31. New Century, Old Problems 32. Vaccination Creeds, Homeopathic Pills and Lettuce 33. Vaccination is Un-American 34. As the World Turns—The Continuing Scourge 35. Soldiers, the Law and Old-Fashioned Smallpox 36. International Public Health 37. A New Biological Philosophy 38. The Decade of the 1970s—Conflicting Reports 39. Stamping Out Smallpox A Glossary of Medicine in the 19th Century Chapter Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author :
S.L. Kotar of St. Louis has been writing (together with J.E. Gessler) for more than four decades, beginning with scripts for television’s Gunsmoke. The late J.E. Gessler lived in St. Louis.

Review :
“Highly recommended”—Choice; “Recount[s] the history of smallpox, its spread, effects, and the medical, political, and moral issues of combating the disease around the world”—Reference & Research Book News.