Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) is a highly contagious disease unique to humans. It is caused by two virus variants called Variola major and Variola minor. V. major is the more deadly form, with a typical mortality of 20-40 percent of those infected. The other type, V. minor, only kills 1% of its victims. Many survivors are left blind in one or both eyes from corneal ulcerations, and persistent skin scarring - pockmarks - is nearly universal. Smallpox was responsible for an estimated 300-500 million deaths in the 20th century. As recently as 1967, The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 15 million people contracted the disease and that two million died in that year. Viruses can be classified in several ways, such as by their geometry, by whether they have envelopes, by the identity of the host organism they can infect, by mode of transmission, or by the type of disease they cause. ... Genera Subfamily Chordopoxvirinae    Orthopoxvirus    Parapoxvirus    Avipoxvirus    Capripoxvirus    Leporipoxvirus    Suipoxvirus    Molluscipoxvirus    Yatapoxvirus Subfamily Entomopoxvirinae    Entomopoxvirus A    Entomopoxvirus B    Entomopoxvirus C Poxviruses (members of the family Poxviridae) can infect as a family both vertebrate and invertebrate animals. ... Latin - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... A disease is any abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the person affected or those in contact with the person. ... A common alternate meaning of virus is computer virus. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...

After successful vaccination campaigns, the WHO in 1979 declared the eradication of smallpox, though cultures of the virus are kept by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States and at the Institute of Virus Preparations in Siberia, Russia. Smallpox vaccination was discontinued in most countries in the 1970s as the risks of vaccination include death (~1 per million), among other serious side effects. Nonetheless, after the 2001 anthrax attacks took place in the United States, concerns about smallpox have resurfaced as a possible agent for bioterrorism. As a result, there has been increased concern about the availability of vaccine stocks. Moreover, President George W. Bush has ordered all American military personnel to be vaccinated against smallpox and has implemented a voluntary program for vaccinating emergency medical personnel. Vaccination is a term coined by Edward Jenner for the process of administering a weakened form of a disease to patients as a means of giving them immunity to a more serious form of the disease. ... Who can refer to: WHO, World Health Organization The Who, a British rock band The Guess Who, a Canadian rock band who (pronoun), an English language interrogative pronoun. ... 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ... A microbiological culture is a way to determine the cause of infectious disease by letting the agent multiply (reproduce) in predetermined media. ... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta is recognized as the lead United States agency for protecting the public health and safety of people by providing credible information to enhance health decisions, and promoting health through strong partnerships with state health departments and other organizations. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... Siberian federal subjects of Russia Siberia ( Russian: Сиби́рь, common English transliterations: Sibir, Sibir; possibly from the Mongolian for the calm land) is a vast region of Russia and northern Kazakhstan constituting almost all of northern Asia. ... The Russian Federation (Russian: Росси́йская Федера́ция, transliteration: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya or Rossijskaja Federacija), or Russia (Russian: Росси́я, transliteration: Rossiya or Rossija), is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia. ... Events and trends Although in the United States and in many other Western societies the 1970s are often seen as a period of transition between the turbulent 1960s and the more conservative 1980s and 1990s, many of the trends that are associated widely with the Sixties, from the Sexual Revolution... (Redirected from 2001 anthrax attack) A letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle containing weaponised anthrax powder caused the deaths of two postal workers. ... Bioterrorism is terrorism using germ warfare, an intentional human release of a naturally_occurring or human_modified toxin or biological agent. ... President of the United States - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Order: 43rd President Vice President: Dick Cheney Term of office: January 20, 2001 – present Preceded by: Bill Clinton Succeeded by: Incumbent Date of birth: July 6, 1946 Place of birth: New Haven, Connecticut First Lady: Laura Welch Bush Political party: Republican George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ...

Famous victims of this disease include Ramesses V (see Koplow, p. 11, plus notes), Shunzhi Emperor of China (official history), Mary II of England, Louis XV of France, and Peter II of Russia. Henry VIII's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, survived the disease but was scarred by it, as was Henry VIII's daughter, Elizabeth I of England in 1562 and Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Ramses V (reigned 1150 - 1145 BC) was the fourth ruler of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt. ... The Shunzhi Emperor of China, Grand Khan of the Mongols (March 15, 1638–February 5, 1661?) was the second emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper from 1644 to 1661. ... Mary II Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland Mary II (30 April 1662–28 December 1694) was Queen of England and Ireland from 13 February 1689 until her death, and Queen of Scotland from 11 April 1689 until her death. ... Louis XV King of France and Navarre Louis XV (February 15, 1710 - May 10, 1774), called the Well-Beloved (French: le Bien-Aimé), was king of France from 1715 to 1774. ... Peter II (Пётр II Алексеевич in Russian) (October 23, 1715–January 29, 1730) was Emperor of Russia from 1727 until his death. ... Henry VIII King of England and Ireland by Hans Holbein the Younger His Grace King Henry VIII (28 June 1491–28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... Anne of Cleves - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Elizabeth I Queen of England and Ireland Queen of France, nominal title Elizabeth I (September 7, 1533–March 24, 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from November 17, 1558 until her death. ... Events Earliest English slave-trading expedition under John Hawkins. ... Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was the 16th (1861–1865) President of the United States, and the first president from the Republican Party. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

A smallpox victim.

After first contacts with Europeans and Africans, the death of a large part of the native population of the New World was caused by Old World diseases. Smallpox was the chief culprit. On at least one occasion, germ warfare was attempted by the British Army under Jeffrey Amherst when two smallpox-infected blankets were deliberately given to representatives of the besieging Delawares Indians during Pontiac's Rebellion in 1763. That Amherst intended to spread the disease to the natives is not doubted by historians; whether or not the attempt succeeded is a matter of debate.^[details] A smallpox victim. ... A smallpox victim. ... This article is about the continent. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second_largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... The New World is one of the names used for the continents of North and South America and adjacent islands collectively, in use since the 16th century. ... The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans before the voyages of Christopher Columbus: Europe, Asia, and Africa. ... Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of any organism (bacteria, virus or other disease-causing organism) or toxin found in nature, as a weapon of war. ... The British Army is the land armed forces of the United Kingdom. ... Jeffrey Amherst by Joshua Reynolds Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst (sometimes spelled Geoffrey, he himself spelled his name as Jeffery) (January 29, 1717 - August 3, 1797) served as an officer in the British army Born in Sevenoaks, England, he became a soldier aged about 14. ... The Lenape or Lenni-Lenape (later named Delaware Indians by Europeans) were, in the 1600s, loosely organized bands of Native American people practicing small-scale agriculture to augment a largely mobile hunter-gatherer society in the region around the Delaware River, the lower Hudson River, and western Long Island Sound. ... Pontiacs Rebellion was a war launched in 1763 by Native Americans (Indians) who were dissatisfied with British rule in the Great Lakes region and the Ohio Country after the British victory in the French and Indian War. ... Events February 10 - French and Indian War: The 1763 Treaty of Paris ends the war and France cedes Great Britain. ... There were millions of people living in the Americas when Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. ...

Smallpox is described in the Ayurveda books. Treatment included inoculation with year-old smallpox matter. The inoculators would travel all across India pricking the skin of the arm with a small metal instrument using "variolous matter" taken from pustules produced by the previous year's inoculations. The effectiveness of this system was confirmed by the British doctor J.Z. Holwell in an account to the College of Physicians in London in 1767. Ayurveda (आयुर्वेद Sanskrit: ayu—life; veda—knowledge of) or ayurvedic medicine is a more than 2,000 year old comprehensive system of medicine based on a holistic approach rooted in Vedic culture. ... London — containing the City of London — is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England and a major world city. With over seven million inhabitants (Londoners) in Greater London area, it is amongst the most densely populated areas in Western Europe. ... Events The Burmese army captures the Thai capital of Ayutthaya, and destroys the city. ...

Edward Jenner developed a smallpox vaccine by using cowpox fluid (hence the name vaccination, from the Latin vaca, cow); his first inoculation occurred on May 14, 1796. After independent confirmation, this practice of vaccination against smallpox spread quickly in Europe. The first smallpox vaccination in North America occurred on June 2, 1800. National laws requiring vaccination began appearing as early as 1805. The last case of wild smallpox occurred on September 11th, 1977. One last victim was claimed by the disease in the UK in September 1978, when Janet Parker, a photographer in the University of Birmingham Medical School, contracted the disease and died. A research project on smallpox was being conducted in the building at the time, though the exact route by which Ms. Parker became infected was never fully elucidated. Edward Jenner Sculpture of Edward Jenner on the grounds of the Tokyo National Museum Edward Jenner (May 17, 1749 - January 26, 1823) was an English country doctor practicing in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England, famous for his work introducing the Smallpox vaccine. ... The smallpox vaccine is the only effective preventive treatment for the deadly smallpox disease. ... Cowpox is a disease of the skin caused by a virus (Cowpox virus) that is related to the Vaccinia virus. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ... June 2 is the 153rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (154th in leap years), with 212 days remaining. ... 1800 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Events January 11 - Michigan Territory is created. ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. ... Events January January 1 - The Copyright Act of 1976 takes effect, making sweeping changes to United States copyright law. ... The University of Birmingham is the oldest of three universities in the English city of Birmingham. ...

Infection

Transmission is by droplets, and infection in the natural disease will be via the lungs. The incubation period to obvious disease is around 12 days. In the initial growth phase the virus seems to move from cell to cell, but around the 12th day, lysis of many infected cells occurs and the virus will be found in the bloodstream in large numbers. The initial or prodromal symptoms are essentially similar to other viral diseases such as influenza and the common cold - fevers, muscle pain and stomach aches etc. The digestive tract is commonly involved, leading to vomiting. Most cases will be prostrated. The heart and lungs (from an older edition of Grays Anatomy) The lung is an organ belonging to the respiratory system and interfacing to the circulatory system of air-breathing vertebrates. ... Red blood cells (erythrocytes) are present in the blood and help carry oxygen to the rest of the cells in the body Blood is a circulating tissue composed of fluid plasma and cells ( red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets). ... Negatively stained flu virions. ... The common cold is a mild viral infectious disease of the nose and throat, the upper respiratory system. ... Fever is also the name of an album by Kylie Minogue. ... Structure of a skeletal muscle Muscle is one of the four tissue types. ... In anatomy, the stomach (in ancient Greek στομάχι) is an organ in the alimentary canal used to digest food. ... Vomiting (or emesis) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of ones stomach through the mouth. ...

Smallpox virus preferentially attacks skin cells and by days 14-15, smallpox infection becomes obvious. The attack on skin cells causes the characteristic pimples associated with the disease. The pimples tend to erupt first in the mouth, then the arms and the hands, and later the rest of the body. At that point the pimples, called macules, should still be fairly small. This is the stage at which the victim is most contagious. A pimple is a type of skin lesion caused by inflamed and/or obstructed pores. ...

By days 15-16 the condition worsens and the pimples grow into papules. These then fill up with pus, turning them into pustules. After the appearance of the pustules, the course of the disease can take two vastly different courses. In route A -- if the victim is going to survive the outbreak -- the pustule will deflate in time (the duration is variable), and will start to dry up, usually beginning on day 28. Eventually the pustules will completely dry and start to flake off. Once all of the pustules flake off, the patient is considered cured.

If the patient is going to die, route B, an entirely different set of symptoms starts to develop. First, bleeding will occur under the skin, making the skin look charred and black (this is known as black pox). Soon afterwards, bleeding begins in the organs. Death may occur from bleeding, or from loss of fluid. The entry of other infectious organisms, since the skin and intestine are no longer a barrier, can also lead to multi-organ failure. In biology, an organ is a group of tissues which perform some function. ...

History

Eurasia

During the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE), when an Athenian victory still seemed within reach, the city of Athens was hit by a plague. Although historians have long considered this an example of bubonic plague, more recent examination of the reported symptoms lead scholars to believe this disease was either measles or smallpox. Because the Spartans had a much greater army, the Athenians were forced to retreat behind the city walls of Athens. From there, they hoped to keep the Spartans at bay, allowing the Athenian navy to cut off supply lines. The epidemic broke out in the city, which was tightly packed with people. It killed many of Athens's infantry, some expert seamen and their leader, Pericles. Leaderless and weakened, the remaining Athenians fought bravely but were defeated. The loss of the war paved the way for the Macedonians and, ultimately, the Romans. This was smallpox's first recorded role in influencing history, but it would not be the last. Map of the Greek world at the start of the Peloponnesian War Temple of Apollo at Corinth The Peloponnesian War was begun in 431 BC between the Athenian Empire and the Peloponnesian League which included Sparta and Corinth. ... Bubonic plague is an infectious disease that is believed to have caused several epidemics or pandemics throughout history. ... For the Shakespeare play, see Pericles, Prince of Tyre Pericles (c. ... Macedonian is a name generally used to define the inhabitants of the wider region of Macedonia throughout time. ... Roman or Romans has several meanings, primarily related to the Roman citizens, but also applicable to typography, math, and a commune. ...

The next major smallpox epidemic occurred in India. The exact date is unknown. In 400 CE, an Indian medical book recorded a disease marked by pustules, saying "the pustules are red, yellow, and white and they are accompanied by burning pain .... the skin seems studded with grains of rice." The Indian epidemic was thought to be punishment from a god, and the survivors created a goddess to honor the disease. In Hinduism there is a goddess named Sitala, who both causes and cures high fever, rashes, hot flashes and pustules. All of these are symptoms of smallpox. The Republic of India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of more than one billion, and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. ...

Smallpox did not enter Europe until 581 CE. Most of the details about the epidemic that followed are lost, probably due to the scarcity of written records and the general lack of social order in the European Dark Ages. World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... Events The Sui Dynasty replaces the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the last of the Northern Dynasties in China. ... The Dark Ages (or Dark Age) is a metaphor with multiple meanings and connotations. ...

The Americas

In 1519 Hernán Cortés landed on the shores of what is now Mexico and was then the Aztec empire. After he landed, one of the most famous coincidences in history took place. The Aztecs were expecting the arrival of a white-skinned god with yellow hair, Quetzalcoatl. Cortes had yellow hair and white skin and thus was received as a god, and was allowed to rule accordingly. In 1520, another group of Spanish came from Cuba and landed in Mexico. Among them was an African slave who had smallpox. When Cortes heard about the other group, he went and defeated them. In this contact, one of Cortes's men contracted the disease. When Cortes returned to Tenochtitlán, he brought the disease with him. Events March 4 - Hernán Cortés lands in Mexico. ... -1... The United Mexican States or Mexico (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos or México; regarding the use of the variant spelling Méjico, see section The name below) is a country located in North America, bordered to the north by the United States of America, to the southeast by Guatemala and Belize, to... The word Aztec is usually used as a historical term, although some contemporary Nahuatl speakers would consider themselves Aztecs. ... Quetzalcoatl (feathered snake) is the Aztec name for the Feathered-Serpent deity of ancient Mesoamerica, one of the main gods of many Mexican and northern Central American civilizations. ... Events January 18 - King Norway defeats the Swedes at Lake Asunde. ... The Republic of Cuba is an archipelago in the northern Caribbean that lies at the confluence of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. ... The word slave has at least two meanings: People who are owned by others, and live to serve them without pay. ... Plan of Tenochtitlan ( Dr Atl) Mexico City statue commemorating the foundation of Tenochtitlan Tenochtitlan (pronounced ) or, alternatively, Mexico-Tenochtitlan, was the capital of the Aztec empire, which was built on an island in Lake Texcoco in what is now central Mexico. ...

Soon the Aztecs realized that Cortes was not a god and rose up in rebellion. Outnumbered, the Spanish were forced to flee. In the fighting, the Spanish soldier carrying smallpox died. After the battle, the Aztecs evidently looked on the invaders' bodies for riches and contracted the virus. Cortes would not return to the capitol until August 1521. In the meantime smallpox was devastating the Aztec population. It killed most of the Aztec army, the emperor, and 25% of the overall population. A Spanish priest left this description: "As the Indians did not know the remedy of the disease...they died in heaps, like bedbugs. In many places it happened that everyone in a house died and, as it was impossible to bury the great number of dead, they pulled down the houses over them so that their homes become their tombs." On Cortes' return, he found the Aztec army's chain of command in ruins. The soldiers who lived were still weak from the disease. Cortes then easily defeated the Aztecs and entered Tenochtitlán, where he found that smallpox had killed more Aztecs than had the cannons. The Aztecs said that they could not walk though the streets without stepping on the bodies of smallpox victims. Events January 3 - Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther. ... A small cast-iron cannon on a carriage A cannon is a modern day rifled machine gun with a calibre of 20 mm or more (see autocannon). ...

The effects of smallpox on Tahuantinsuyu (or Inca empire) were even more devastating. Beginning in Colombia, smallpox spread rapidly before the Spanish invaders first arrived in the empire. The spread was probably aided by the efficient Inca road system. Within months, the disease had killed the Sapa Inca Huayna Capac, his successor, and most of the other leaders. Two of his surviving sons warred for power and, after a bloody and costly war, Atahualpa become the new Sapa Inca. As Atahualpa was returning to the capital Cuzco, Francisco Pizarro arrived and through a series of deceits captured the young leader and his best general. Within a few years smallpox claimed between 60% and 90% of the Inca population, with other waves of European disease weakening them further. For other meanings of Inca, see Inca (disambiguation). ... The Republic of Colombia is a country in north-western South America. ... Among the many roads and trails constructed in South America, the Inca road systems in Peru are most extensive yet constructed on the South American continent. ... Huayna Capac (1493 - 1527) was an Inca emperor. ... Atahualpa, the 13th and last Inca Atahualpa (c. ... The Church of La Compañía on the Plaza de Armas in Cuzco Cuzco is a city in southeastern Peru in the Huatanay Valley (Sacred Valley), of the Andes mountain range. ... Francisco Pizarro ( 1475–June 26, 1541) was a Spanish conquistador, conqueror of the Inca Empire and founder of the city of Lima. ...

Even after the two mighty empires of the Americas were defeated by the virus, smallpox continued its march of death. North America was next. In 1633 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the Native Americans were struck by the virus. As it had done elsewhere, the virus wiped out entire population groups of Native Americans. It reached Lake Ontario in 1636, and the lands of the Iroquois by 1679, killing millions. The worst sequence of smallpox attacks took place in Boston, Massachusetts. From 1636 to 1698, Boston endured six epidemics. In 1721 the most severe epidemic occurred. The entire population fled the city, bringing the virus to the rest of the 13 colonies. In the late 1770s, during the American Revolutionary War, smallpox returned once more and killed an estimated 125,000 people.^{[1]  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox#endnote_RevWarDeaths)} Events February 13 - Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition. ... Plymouth is a town located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... Lake Ontario seen from near Wolcott, New York Lake Ontario, bounded on the north by Ontario and on the south by Ontarios Niagara Peninsula and by New York State, is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. ... Events February 24 - King Christian of Denmark gives an order that all beggars that are able to work must be sent to Brinholmen Island to build ships or as galley rowers March 26 - Utrecht University founded in The Netherlands. ... The Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the League of Peace and Power) is a group of First Nations/Native Americans. ... Events January 24 - King Charles II of England disbands Parliament August 7 - The brigantine Le Griffon, which was commissioned by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, is towed to the southern end of the Niagara River, to become the first ship to sail the upper Great Lakes. ... Boston is the capital of and the largest city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. ... Events February 24 - King Christian of Denmark gives an order that all beggars that are able to work must be sent to Brinholmen Island to build ships or as galley rowers March 26 - Utrecht University founded in The Netherlands. ... Events January 4 - Palace of Whitehall in London is destroyed by fire. ... Events Pope Innocent XIII becomes pope Johann Sebastian Bach composes the Brandenburg Concertos April 4 - Robert Walpole becomes the first prime minister of Britain September 10 - Treaty of Nystad is signed, bringing an end to the Great Northern War November 2 - Peter I is proclaimed Emperor of All the Russias... Betsy Ross purportedly sewed the first American flag with 13 stars and 13 stripes representing each of the 13 colonies. ... Between 1775 and 1782, a smallpox epidemic raged across much of North America. ...

(See: Population_history_of_American_indigenous_peoples for a discussion of this disease and other issues at the time of European contact.) There were millions of people living in the Americas when Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. ...

Inoculation

By that time, a preventive treatment for smallpox had finally arrived. It was a process called inoculation, also known as insufflation or variolation. Inoculation was not a sudden innovation, as some practices had been around for centuries. The Chinese blew powdered smallpox scabs up the noses of the healthy. The patients would then develop a mild case of the disease and from then on were immune to it. The process spread to Turkey, where an American doctor learned of it. He then told the Royal Society in England, where Lady Mary Wortley Montagu learned of it. She began to get other people interested in inoculation. When no one listened, she tried it on her son and daughter, aged 5 and 4 respectively. They both recovered quickly and the procedure was hailed as a success. Inoculation was a method of minimising the harm done by infection with smallpox. ... Obsolete: inoculation against smallpox using material from a vesicle or lesion of a person with smallpox. ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul ( Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 12+ million km² Establishment 1299 Dissolution October 29, 1923... The Royal Society of London is claimed to be the oldest learned society still in existence and was founded in 1660. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... The Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (May 26, 1689 - August 21, 1762), was an English woman of letters. ...

In 1721, an epidemic of smallpox hit London and left the British Royal Family in fear. When they read about the success of Lady Wortley Montagu's efforts, they wanted to use inoculation on themselves. Doctors told them that it was a dangerous procedure, so they decided to try it on other people first. The subjects they used were condemned prisoners. The doctors inoculated the prisoners and all of them recovered in a couple of weeks. So assured, the British royal family inoculated themselves and reassured the English people that it was safe. Events Pope Innocent XIII becomes pope Johann Sebastian Bach composes the Brandenburg Concertos April 4 - Robert Walpole becomes the first prime minister of Britain September 10 - Treaty of Nystad is signed, bringing an end to the Great Northern War November 2 - Peter I is proclaimed Emperor of All the Russias... Members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour ceremony The British Royal Family is a group of people closely related to the British monarch. ...

But inoculation still had its critics. Prominent among them were religious preachers who claimed that smallpox was God's way of punishing people and that inoculation was a tool of Satan. This resistance only encouraged Montagu and the others to work even harder. By 1723 inoculations were extremely common in England. Events February 16 - Louis XV of France attains his majority Births February 24 - John Burgoyne, British general. ...

In 1721, Onesimus (Oh-NES-ih-mus) was the slave of a Boston preacher when smallpox came to Boston via a ship arriving from Barbados.^{[2]  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox#endnote_Onesimus)} His owner, Cotton Mather asked his slave if he ever had smallpox. Onesimus said, "Yes and no," and explained a technique from his homeland in Africa, thought to be in Sudan. He explained that pus from an infected person was deliberately rubbed into a scratch or cut of a non-infected person, and when successful, the person had immunity. This remedy from an African-American slave was the precursor to inoculations. Cotton Mather, the son of a former Harvard University dean, was waging a campaign of his own to promote the process, although religious resistance to inoculation was very strong. At one point, Cotton Mather was in danger from a crowd that wanted to hang him. After six patients died from the procedure, he was called a murderer. But, when the population of Boston returned after the end of a smallpox epidemic in 1722, he was an instant hero. Out of the population of Boston, 7% had died from smallpox. Out of the 300 people that chose to inoculate themselves, only 2% died. By 1774, it was considered odd not to chose inoculation. Onesimus was later freed by Mather, not for his knowledge and help in combating smallpox, but because Mather considered him to be disobedient. Events Pope Innocent XIII becomes pope Johann Sebastian Bach composes the Brandenburg Concertos April 4 - Robert Walpole becomes the first prime minister of Britain September 10 - Treaty of Nystad is signed, bringing an end to the Great Northern War November 2 - Peter I is proclaimed Emperor of All the Russias... This article is about the minister Cotton Mather. ... Events Abraham De Moivre states De Moivres theorem connecting trigonometric functions and complex numbers Publication of the first book of Bachs Well-Tempered Clavier Fall of Persias Safavid dynasty during a bloody revolt of the Afghani people. ... Events January 21 - Mustafa III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire dies and is succeeded by his brother Abd-ul-Hamid I. May 10 - Louis XVI becomes King of France. ...

Even though inoculation was a powerful method of controlling smallpox, it was far from perfect. Inoculation caused a mild case of smallpox which resulted in death in about 2% of the cases. It was also difficult to administer. Sick patients had to be locked away to prevent them from transmitting the disease to others. In 1757, a young boy in England by the name of Edward Jenner was inoculated. He suffered from the disease for an entire month. Even though he recovered, he was determined to find a better method of preventing smallpox. 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Vaccination

At the age of thirteen, young Jenner was apprenticed to a doctor. He observed that people who caught cowpox while working with cows were known not to catch smallpox. He assumed a causal connection. The idea was not taken up by Dr. Ludlow at that time. After Jenner returned from medical school in London, an smallpox epidemic struck his home town of Berkeley, England. He advised the local cow workers to be inoculated. The farmers told him that cowpox prevented smallpox. This confirmed his childhood suspicion, and he studied cowpox further. Berkeley is a town on the south bank of the River Severn in Gloucestershire, UK. The town is located mid-way between Bristol and Gloucester and is built on a small hill in the Vale of Berkeley. ...

In 1796 Sarah Nelmes, a local milkmaid, contracted cowpox and went to Jenner for treatment. Jenner took the opportunity to test his theory. He inoculated James Phipps, the eight year-old son of his gardener, not with smallpox but with cowpox. After an extremely weak bout of cowpox, James recovered. Jenner then tried to infect James with smallpox but nothing happened — the boy was immune to smallpox. 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ...

Jenner reported his observations to the Royal Society. The initial reception was cool. Jenner repeated the process with five more children, one of them his son Edward. It worked on all of them. After this he was taken seriously, and by 1800 Jenner's work had been published in all of the major European languages. The process was performed all over Europe and the United States. The death rate was close to zero with the process, which became known as vaccination. 1800 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Vaccination is a term coined by Edward Jenner for the process of administering a weakened form of a disease to patients as a means of giving them immunity to a more serious form of the disease. ...

The Balmis Expedition (1803) carried the vaccine to Spanish America, the Philippines and China under commission of the Spanish Crown. Events January 30 - Monroe and Livingston sail for Paris to discuss, and possibly buy, New Orleans. ...

Some years before Dr. Jenner, Benjamin Jesty, a farmer from Yetminster in Dorset (he later moved to and is buried at Worth Matravers) is recorded as observing the two milkmaids living with his family to have been immune to smallpox and then inoculating his family with cowpox to protect them from smallpox. This has never been adequately verified, however, and the question of who first initiated smallpox inoculation/vaccination has not been settled to this day. Farmer spreading grasshopper bait in his alfalfa field. ... Yetminster is a village in north west Dorset, England, five miles south west of Sherborne. ... Dorset (pronounced Dorsit, sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the southwest of England, on the English Channel coast. ... Worth Matravers is a small village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, situated on the cliffs east of Swanage. ...

Louis T. Wright^{[3]  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox#endnote_LTWright)}, an African-American and Harvard medical school graduate in 1915, introduced intradermal vaccination for smallpox for the soldiers while serving in the Army during WWI.^{[4]  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox#endnote_WW1Vacc)} 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Eradication

Jenner said, "The annihilation of smallpox - the dreadful scourge of the human race - will be the final result of vaccination." Jenner's dream was ultimately realized. Around the world, attempts would be made to annihilate smallpox. In 1842, England banned inoculation and ordered everyone to get vaccinated instead. In the United States, from 1843 to 1855, different states started requiring all students to be vaccinated. Not everyone liked this requirement, however. Many people said that the government was crossing a line by ordering people to get vaccinated. Despite the complaints, the war against smallpox went on and the disease was disappearing quickly in the wealthy countries. Events February 21 - John J. Greenough patents the sewing machine. ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

However, in poorer countries such as Somalia and India, vaccines were unaffordable and sometimes unknown. The final effort to attain the noble goal first set by Jenner would not begin until 1958, when the Soviet Union called for the eradication of smallpox from the planet. At that point, 2 million people were dying every year. In 1967, an international team of doctors was placed under the leadership of an American, Donald Henderson. For the eradication plan to work properly, the team needed to find cases of smallpox when they were erupting, so that they could vaccinate everyone who lived close by. This process is known as ring vaccination. The idea was cheaper and easier to implement than a process to vaccinate everyone who lived on the planet. The team ran into problems right away. They found that 95% of all smallpox victims do not report to the authorities. Somalia (Somali: Soomaaliya; Arabic: الصومال, As-Sumal), formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a coastal nation in East Africa. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Soviet Union - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...

Instead of rushing to where smallpox was occurring, they were forced to deploy a network of experts around the world. When the disease emerged, local governments (whether they were willing or not) were rallied to vaccinate everyone in the area.

The project would have failed, if not for the sheer heroism displayed by many of the experts involved. All of them knew that failure was not acceptable. The world would never have devoted so many resources to defeat this disease unless it were imperative that smallpox be wiped out.

But smallpox fought tenaciously and did not give ground easily. In India and Bangladesh, religion and around-the-clock civil wars became huge obstacles. In fear of offending the goddess associated with the disease, many Hindus refused the vaccine. Undeterred, the team simply vaccinated them against their will. Civil war ended up being a bigger problem. The nature of war means that troops are often moved from place to place and lodge in crowded tents or barracks, an ideal condition for spreading smallpox. The soldiers then spread the disease to villagers, who then disperse it further. A civil war is a war in which the competing parties are segments of the same country or empire. ... A tent is a temporary or semipermanent shelter, consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles. ... Barracks are military housing. ...

The team's answer to civil war was to vaccinate all the troops, with or without the permission of generals commanding the armies. The team placed themselves in great danger by doing this, and the WHO even told them to stop. Surprisingly, none of the team members were hurt in the process.

Nature, unfortunately, also impeded the vaccination team's efforts. Just as the team was on the brink of success, the monsoon rains came, bursting dams and dikes. The rain and flooding forced people to flee, once again allowing smallpox to spread. This outbreak took the team a whole year to stop. Scrivener Dam, Canberra Australia, was engineered to withstand a once-in-5000-years flood event A dam (a common Teutonic word, compare to Dutch dam, Swedish and German damm, and the Gothic verb faurdammjan, to block up) is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards the flow... A dyke (or dike) is a stone or earthen wall constructed as a defence or as a boundary. ...

The last major European outbreak of smallpox was the 1972 outbreak of smallpox in Yugoslavia. After a pilgrim returned from the Middle East, where he had contracted the virus, an epidemic infected 175 people with 35 deaths. Authorities declared martial law, enforced quarantine and undertook massive revaccination of the population, enlisting the help of the WHO and Donald Henderson. In two months, the outbreak was over. 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in all south Slavic languages) is a term used for three separate but successive political entities that existed during most of the 20th century on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. ... Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect (usually after a formal declaration) when a particular situation requires that a military authority take control of the normal administration of justice (and usually of the whole state). ...

The last naturally occurring case of Variola Minor was diagnosed on October 26, 1977. The last naturally occurring case of the more deadly Variola Major was detected two years earlier in November 1975. It had cost a mere 300 million United States dollars to eradicate smallpox. October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... November is the eleventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ...

Post-eradication

In 1978, there was evidently an escape of smallpox from containment in a research laboratory in Birmingham, England. A medical photographer, Janet Parker, died from the disease itself, and the Professor responsible for the unit killed himself. In light of this accident, all known stocks of smallpox were destroyed, except the stocks at the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Vector Institute in Koltsovo, Novosibirsk in Siberia, where a regiment of troops guard it. Under such tight control, smallpox would, it was thought, never be let out again. Even though the destruction of virus stocks was ordered in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996, they have not yet been destroyed. There apparently remain a number of researchers who still wish to retain the stocks for scientific purposes. Events January January 1 - The Copyright Act of 1976 takes effect, making sweeping changes to United States copyright law. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003) Events Media:January January 1 - Czechoslovakia divides. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

It is also feared that additional stocks of the virus may exist in research collections, the product of the accumulatory nature of microbiologists. Additional collections of the virus almost certainly exist as the result of certain military and biological warfare programs, such as the Soviet State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology (also known as Vector) labs, which maintained stocks separate from those held by the Moscow Institute for Viral Preparation. Soviet redirects here. ...

In March 2003 Smallpox scabs were found tucked inside an envelope in a book on Civil War medicine in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The envelope was labeled as containing the scabs and listed the names of the patients that were vaccinated with them. Assuming the contents could be dangerous, the librarian who found them did not open the envelope. This was fortunate, as, unlike bacteria (with the exception of those that produce spores), viruses can theoretically survive for many years. The scabs ended up with employees from the National Centers for Disease Control, who responded quickly once informed of the discovery. The discovery raised concerns that smallpox DNA could be extracted from these and other scabs and used for a biological attack. However, the chances of successfully doing that are very slim according to experts. For alternative meanings, see March (disambiguation). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January January 1 - Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ... Santa Fe (Spanish: santa holy, fe faith) is the capital of New Mexico, a state of the United States of America. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

See also

• For information on the use of smallpox as a weapon, see Biological warfare.

Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of any organism ( bacteria, virus or other disease-causing organism) or toxin found in nature, as a weapon of war. ...

References

• Fenner, Frank, Henderson, D.A., Arita, Isao, Jezek, Zdenek, and Ladnyi, Ivan D. "Smallpox and Its Eradication." World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland, 1988. ISBN 9241561106.

• Hopkins, Donald R. "Princes and Peasants: Smallpox in History." University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, 1983. ISBN 0226351777.

• Koplow, David. "Smallpox: The Fight to Eradicate a Global Scourge." University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA, 2003, ISBN 0-520-23732-3.

• McNeill, William H. "Plagues and Peoples." Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., New York, NY, 1976, ISBN 0-385-12122-9.

• Catalog to the exhibit entitled "TO SLAY THE DEVOURING MONSTER: The Vaccination Experiments of Benjamin Waterhouse" (http://www.countway.harvard.edu/rarebooks/exhibits/waterhouse/) (2000). Hosted by the Rare Books and Special Collections, Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine (http://www.countway.harvard.edu/rarebooks/exhibits.shtml). Verified availability 2005-03-12.

Numbered references

1. ^  Fenn, Elizabeth Anne (2001). Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82 (1^st edition). Hill and Wang. ISBN 0809078201.
2. ^  Willoughby, Brian (Feb 12, 2004). BLACK HISTORY MONTH II: Why Wasn't I Taught That? (http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=942). Tolerance.org. Availability verified 2005-03-02.
3. ^  A Brief Biography of Dr. Louis T. Wright (http://northbysouth.kenyon.edu/1998/health/wright.htm) hosted as part of the Great Migration Project (http://history.ulib.csuohio.edu/migration/). Availability verified 2005-03-03.
4. ^  Spotlight on Black Inventors, Scientists, and Engineers (http://www.cs.georgetown.edu/~blakeb/mm/BHM/Spotlight%20on%20Black%20Inventors,%20Scientists,%20and%20Engineers.htm) hosted by the Department of Computer Science of Georgetown University (http://www.cs.georgetown.edu/). Availability verified 2005-03-03.

External link

• CDC smallpox (http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/index.asp)