The History of Smallpox: From the Beginning to Vaccination

Casimir Pulaski once said, “I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to love or die for it.” For centuries smallpox was one of the world’s most-dreaded plagues, killing as many as 30 percent of its victims, most of them children. Those who survived were immune to a second infection, but faced a lifetime of consequences and in some cases blindness. In the spring of 1776, it killed more soldiers than combat. Smallpox spread like wildfire to weakened soldiers and crowded army camps. George Washington made a bold decision to vaccinate all of his soldiers. 

Inoculations and the way they are delivered have changed since Revolutionary War. Inoculation today is a lot different then it was back during the time of the Revolutionary War. Back then, medics would create small wounds in healthy soldiers' arms, then rub some of the pus from the pox from infected soldiers into those wounds. This was known as variolation, giving someone a mild form of smallpox. This saved all but 1-in-50 soldiers and the army could go on to fight. The healthier the population of soldiers is, the less chance there is of other soldiers getting sick. By protecting the entire group, the American revolutionaries won their freedom. 

People born before 1972, have most likely been inoculated against smallpox. In the late 1700s, inoculation and vaccinations were new and untested. People were as afraid of the vaccine as they were of the disease. Today, when it comes to viral threats, not much has changed. The protection of everyone depends on enough people wanting to be vaccinated and to have their kids vaccinated. That prevents the disease from being able to spread quickly from person to person. You can only imagine how the world would have been changed if George Washington had not insisted his soldiers be vaccinated. George Washington's bold decision to vaccinate the entire Continental Army against smallpox was the first mass inoculation in military history, and was essential to establish an American victory in the War of Independence. 

George Washington’s first encounter with smallpox came long before he was a military commander. When he was nineteen, he was infected with the disease while traveling in Barbados with his brother. For twenty-six days, Washington fought headaches, chills, backaches, high fevers, and vomiting. His brother wasn't sure he'd make it. In those days, living from smallpox ranged from 15 to 50 percent. Washington did not die but the infection left him with scars only on his nose while other have numerous scares or even are blinded. The scars gave Washington the fighter look that would later lead to his image as a leader. The disease was never far from Washington's mind after he took command of the Continental Army in the summer of 1775. Over the months, Washington saw the great disease upon his men. Washington tried his hardest to minimize its spread by restricting camp access, checking refugees, and isolating his troops to avoid the spread of the disease. When ten thousand American troops marched in Canada in the fall of 1775, with nearly three thousand of sick soldiers, Washington knew they were in trouble. The majority of the new recruits were not immune to the disease, and reinforcements sent to Canada sickened quickly. George Washington realized he needed to do something. Inoculation was already available but it was not without risks and it was technically outlawed by the Continental Congress. 

The vaccines today were not yet invented. In the beginning, Washington simply required new recruits to be inoculated. Later, finding that smallpox was spreading fast and fear was everywhere, he demanded the whole army be inoculated. Washington was openly breaking the law for months. As years past, 40,000 soldiers were immunized. The results were stunning. The smallpox infection rate in the Continental Army fell rapidly from seventeen percent to one percent, making the Continental Congress to legalize variolation across the states. Many Americans didn’t get the chance to get the vaccines because they were on British prison ships. 

Overall, smallpox has a long history. Before finding a vaccination it was a harmful bio weapon against enemy. Nowadays it is still a dangerous infection disease, but the symptoms can be less severe due to medical treatment and vaccination.