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who created the islamic treatment for smallpox

by Mrs. Emilia Zemlak Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Kitab fi Al Jadari wa Al Hasaba authored by the Muslim physician Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (d. ca. 925) is one of the books that remained popular and in great demand for over a millennium, and was also repeatedly translated into many languages. This Treatise on Smallpox and Measles was the first comprehensive text on this disease.

In his landmark “A Treatise on the Small-Pox and Measles,” Rhazes
Rhazes
864 or 865–925 or 935 CE, often known as (al-)Razi or by his Latin name Rhazes, was a Persian physician, philosopher and alchemist who lived during the Islamic Golden Age. He is widely considered one of the most important figures in the history of medicine, and also wrote on logic, astronomy and grammar.
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recognized that the 2 were separate diseases. Rhazes' observations and conclusions were important in the genesis of the ontologic concept of disease (ie, distinct, specific disease entities exist, each with its own unique pathogenesis).

Full Answer

Who introduced smallpox to the New World?

 · Abdul Nasser Kaadan - Al-Razi - Disease - Healthcare - Medicine -. This article by Dr. Abdulnasser Kaadan shows that as early as the 9th century, the well known Muslim physician al-Razi described, in his book Kitab al-Jadari wa 'l-Hasba (The Book on Smallpox and Measles), the symptoms of smallpox and measles.

Who was worshipped to prevent or cure smallpox?

 · Tags: Al-Razi - Disease - Medicine - Nasim Hasan Naqvi - People - Rhazes - Smallpox -. Kitab fi Al Jadari wa Al Hasaba authored by the Muslim physician Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (d. ca. 925) is one of the books that remained popular and in great demand for over a millennium, and was also repeatedly translated into many languages. …

How was smallpox treated in the Middle Ages?

 · It was through empirical observations that the great Persian physician of the medieval Islamic golden age, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariyya al-Razi, known to the Western world as Al Rhazes (864-930 ce), developed this fundamental philosophical paradigm shift in man’s understanding of a disease. Medieval medicine was based on clinical observations of …

What happened to the who’s plan to eradicate smallpox?

Jenner's work is widely regarded as the foundation of immunology—despite the fact that he was neither the first to suggest that infection with cowpox conferred specific immunity to smallpox nor the first to attempt cowpox inoculation for this purpose. Open in a separate window. Figure 1. Edward Jenner (1749–1823).

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What did Muhammad ibn Zakariya Al Razi invent?

At the age of thirty, he stopped his work and experiments in alchemy due to eye irritation by chemical compounds he was exposed to. Among his discoveries in alchemy, he is credited with the discovery of sulfuric acid and ethanol.

What did Al-Razi do?

Al-Razi was a musician and a money-changer until his 30s, when he began to study medicine in Baghdad. He went on to become one of the greatest physicians of the medieval period, writing over 200 works; half of them on medicine, but others on topics that included philosophy, theology, mathematics, astronomy and alchemy.

Who is Abu Bakr Al-Razi?

al-Rāzī, in full Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakariyyā al-Rāzī, Latin Rhazes, (born c. 854, Rayy, Persia [now in Iran]—died 925/935, Rayy), celebrated alchemist and Muslim philosopher who is also considered to have been the greatest physician of the Islamic world.

Who is Muhammad ibn Zakariya?

Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (865-925) was a Persian polymath, physician, alchemist, philosopher, and important figure in the history of medicine. He wrote more than 200 works on a wide range of subjects, of which around 50 have survived.

What is Abu Bakr Al Razi famous for?

Abu Bakr al-RaziAbū Bakr al-RāzīNotable ideasThe first to write up limited or extensive notes on diseases such as smallpox and chickenpox, a pioneer in ophthalmology, author of the first book on pediatrics, making leading contributions in inorganic and organic chemistry, also the author of several philosophical works.7 more rows

What did Rhazes do for medicine?

Early contributions of Rhazes to pediatrics. As a physician and scholar, Rhazes wrote a book on smallpox and measles providing clinical characteristics of the diseases [18].

Who wrote the book of medicine dedicated to Mansur?

This manuscript preserves one of the most famous medieval Arabic medical treatises, the Kitab al-Mansouri fi al-Tibb (The book on medicine dedicated to al-Mansur), which was composed by the well-known Persian physician, natural scientist, philosopher, and alchemist Abu Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (865-925) early ...

Who discovered alcohol Zakaria?

Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya al-RaziAbu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya al-Razi, known in the West as Rhazes, was born in 865 AD in the ancient city of Rey, Near Tehran. A musician during his youth he became an alchemist. He discovered alcohol and sulfuric acid.

Who is Ibn Sina biography?

Avicenna, Arabic Ibn Sīnā, in full Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā, (born 980, near Bukhara, Iran [now in Uzbekistan]—died 1037, Hamadan, Iran), Muslim physician, the most famous and influential of the philosopher-scientists of the medieval Islamic world.

What did Muhammad and his soldiers destroy when they returned and conquered Mecca in 630 AD?

After eight years of fighting with the Meccan tribes, Muhammad gathered an army of 10,000 followers and conquered the city of Mecca, destroying the pagan idols in the Kaaba. By the time of Muhammad's unexpected death in 632 CE, he had united Arabia into a single Muslim religious polity.

Where did Al-Razi live?

BaghdadShahr-e-ReyAbu Bakr al-Razi/Places lived

Where did smallpox originate?

The earliest epidemics of smallpox have been reported from the banks of the Nile, from where it spread to the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Since then, smallpox has devastated populations until its eradication in 1977.

What is the only book available on smallpox?

That in Leiden has been used by translators and researchers but the other in Venice has not seen the light of day for centuries. Rhazes’s book remained in great demand until about the middle of the 19th century, being the only book available on smallpox.

What plague was caused by smallpox?

The plague of Athens of 430 BCE is said to have been due to smallpox but Greek medical texts do not discuss it as a disease, thus Galen made only passing mention to smallpox, nor was it discussed by the Chinese.

Who wrote the book Kitab fi Al Jadari?

Kitab fi Al Jadari wa Al Hasaba authored by the Muslim physician Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (d. ca. 925) is one of the books that remained popular and in great demand for over a millennium, and was also repeatedly translated into many languages. This Treatise on Smallpox and Measles was the first comprehensive text on this disease.

Where are the original Arabic manuscripts?

One is in the Leiden University Library (Fig. 1) and the other in the National Library in Venice, both being donated nearly 400 years ago [5].

Who wrote the Encyclopedia of Arabic Science?

E Savage-Smith, ‘Medicine’, in R. Rashed (ed.), Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science, (London and New York: Routledge, 1996), pp. 903-962.

Who translated Rhazes?

Rhazes, The Spiritual Physick of Rhazes, translated by A. J. Arberry in the “Wisdom of the East” Series (London: John Murray, 1950).

What brought smallpox to Japan?

6 th Century—Increased trade with China and Korea brings smallpox to Japan.

When did smallpox end?

The Program made steady progress toward ridding the world of this disease, and by 1971 smallpox was eradicated from South America, followed by Asia (1975), and finally Africa (1977).

How to control smallpox?

One of the first methods for controlling smallpox was variolation, a process named after the virus that causes smallpox (variola virus). During variolation, people who had never had smallpox were exposed to material from smallpox sores (pustules) by scratching the material into their arm or inhaling it through the nose. After variolation, people usually developed the symptoms associated with smallpox, such as fever and a rash. However, fewer people died from variolation than if they had acquired smallpox naturally.

How did smallpox spread?

Historians trace the global spread of smallpox to the growth of civilizations and exploration. Expanding trade routes over the centuries also led to the spread of the disease.

How many people died from smallpox?

Smallpox was a terrible disease. On average, 3 out of every 10 people who got it died. People who survived usually had scars, which were sometimes severe. One of the first methods for controlling smallpox was variolation, a process named after the virus that causes smallpox (variola virus).

When did Maalin die?

Maalin was isolated and made a full recovery. Maalin died of malaria on July 22, 2013, while working in the polio eradication campaign. Janet Parker was the last person to die of smallpox.

When did the Intensified Eradication Program start?

The Intensified Eradication Program began in 1967 with a promise of renewed efforts. Laboratories in many countries where smallpox occurred regularly were able to produce more, higher-quality freeze-dried vaccine.

What was the first step in the global eradication of smallpox?

The critical first step in the global eradication of smallpox was the concept that a single disease could alter an individual so that he or she became resistant to that disease in the future. It was through empirical observations that the great Persian physician of the medieval Islamic golden age, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariyya al-Razi, known to the Western world as Al Rhazes (864-930 ce ), developed this fundamental philosophical paradigm shift in man’s understanding of a disease. Medieval medicine was based on clinical observations of the most prominent symptoms of epidemic diseases, particularly diseases with distinctive cutaneous eruptions, such as smallpox, plague, and measles. Rhazes opposed Hippocrates’ and Galen’s concept of the 4 humors. In his landmark “A Treatise on the Small-Pox and Measles,” Rhazes recognized that the 2 were separate diseases. 1 Rhazes’ observations and conclusions were important in the genesis of the ontologic concept of disease (ie, distinct, specific disease entities exist, each with its own unique pathogenesis).

What was Medieval medicine based on?

Medieval medicine was based on clinical observations of the most prominent symptoms of epidemic diseases, particularly diseases with distinctive cutaneous eruptions, such as smallpox, plague, and measles. Rhazes opposed Hippocrates’ and Galen’s concept of the 4 humors.

What did Rhazes recognize?

Rhazes’ recognition that patients could acquire specific protective resistance to smallpox allowed for the eventual development of variolation (inoculation), jennerization (“cowpoxization”), and ultimately, modern immunization (contemporary “vaccination”).

Who suggested that the Royal Marines used smallpox as a biological weapon?

Likewise David Day , in Claiming a Continent: A New History of Australia (2001), suggested that members of Sydney's garrison of Royal Marines may have attempted to use smallpox as a biological weapon in 1789. However, in 2002, historian John Connor stated that Day's theory was "unsustainable".

Who was the first person to describe smallpox?

The clearest description of smallpox from pre-modern times was given in the 9th century by the Persian physician, Muhammad ibn Zakariya ar-Razi, known in the West as "Rhazes", who was the first to differentiate smallpox from measles and chickenpox in his Kitab fi al-jadari wa-al-hasbah ( The Book of Smallpox and Measles ).

How did smallpox affect Native Americans?

During the 1770s, smallpox killed at least 30% of the Northwestern Native Americans, killing tens of thousands. The smallpox epidemic of 1780–1782 brought devastation and drastic depopulation among the Plains Indians. This epidemic is a classic instance of European immunity and non-European vulnerability. It is probable that the Indians contracted the disease from the ‘Snake Indians’ on the Mississippi. From there it spread eastward and northward to the Saskatchewan River. According to David Thompson’s account, the first to hear of the disease were fur traders from the Hudson’s House on October 15, 1781. A week later, reports were made to William Walker and William Tomison, who were in charge of the Hudson and Cumberland Hudson’s Bay Company posts. By February, the disease spread as far as the Basquia Tribe. Smallpox attacked whole tribes and left few survivors. E. E. Rich described the epidemic by saying that “Families lay unburied in their tents while the few survivors fled, to spread the disease.” After reading Tomison’s journals, Houston and Houston calculated that, of the Indians who traded at the Hudson and Cumberland houses, 95% died of smallpox. Paul Hackett adds to the mortality numbers suggesting that perhaps up to one half to three quarters of the Ojibway situated west of the Grand Portage died from the disease. The Cree also suffered a casualty rate of approximately 75% with similar effects found in the Lowland Cree. By 1785 the Sioux Indians of the great plains had also been affected. Not only did smallpox devastate the Indian population, it did so in an unforgiving way. William Walker described the epidemic stating that “the Indians [are] all Dying by this Distemper … lying Dead about the Barren Ground like a rotten sheep, their Tents left standing & the Wild beast Devouring them.”

Why was smallpox important to Europe?

The establishment of the disease in Europe was of special importance, for this served as the endemic reservoir from which smallpox spread to other parts of the world, as an accompaniment of successive waves of European exploration and colonization.

How did smallpox come to Australia?

Smallpox was externally brought to Australia. The first recorded outbreak, in April 1789, about 16 months after the arrival of the First Fleet, devastated the Aboriginal population. Governor Phillip said that about half of the people living around Sydney Cove died during the outbreak, while later estimates have been higher. There is an ongoing debate as part of the "History wars" concerning two main rival theories about how the disease first entered the continent. (Another hypothesis suggested that the French brought it in 1788, but the timeline does not fit.) The central hypotheses of these theories suggest that smallpox was transmitted to Indigenous Australians by either: 1 the First Fleet of British settlers to arrive in the Colony of New South Wales, who arrived in January 1788 (whether deliberately or accidentally); or 2 Makassan mariners visiting northern Australia.

How many people died from smallpox in the 20th century?

During the 20th century, it is estimated that smallpox was responsible for 300–500 million deaths. In the early 1950s an estimated 50 million cases of smallpox occurred in the world each year. As recently as 1967, the World Health Organization estimated that 15 million people contracted the disease and that two million died in that year. After successful vaccination campaigns throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the WHO certified the global eradication of smallpox in December 1979. Smallpox is one of two infectious diseases to have been eradicated, the other being rinderpest, which was declared eradicated in 2011.

Where did variolation originate?

The practice of variolation (also known as inoculation) first came out of East Asia. First writings documenting variolation in China appear around 1500. Scabs from smallpox victims who had the disease in its mild form would be selected, and the powder was kept close to body temperature by means of keeping it close to the chest, killing the majority of the virus and resulting in a more mild case of smallpox. Scabs were generally used when a month old, but could be used more quickly in hot weather (15–20 days), and slower in winter (50 days). The process was carried out by taking eight smallpox scabs and crushing them in a mortar with two grains of Uvularia grandiflora in a mortar. The powder was administered nasally through a silver tube that was curved at its point, through the right nostril for boys and the left nostril for girls. A week after the procedure, those variolated would start to produce symptoms of smallpox, and recovery was guaranteed. In India, where the European colonizers came across variolation in the 17th century, a large, sharp needle was dipped into the pus collected from mature smallpox sores. Several punctures with this needle were made either below the deltoid muscle or in the forehead, and then were covered with a paste made from boiled rice. Variolation spread farther from India to other countries in south west Asia, and then to the Balkans.

When was smallpox inoculated?

In 1757 , an 8-year-old boy was inoculated with smallpox in Gloucester (4); he was one of thousands of children inoculated that year in England. The procedure was effective, as the boy developed a mild case of smallpox and was subsequently immune to the disease. His name was Edward Jenner.

When did smallpox first appear?

SMALLPOX: THE ORIGIN OF A DISEASE. The origin of smallpox as a natural disease is lost in prehistory. It is believed to have appeared around 10,000 BC, at the time of the first agricultural settlements in northeastern Africa (3, 4).

What was the first part of the theory that cows have smallpox?

In the first part Jenner presented his view regarding the origin of cowpox as a disease of horses transmitted to cows. The theory was discredited during Jenner's lifetime. He then presented the hypothesis that infection with cowpox protects against subsequent infection with smallpox.

Where was variolation practiced?

Inoculation, hereafter referred to as variolation, was likely practiced in Africa, India, and China long before the 18th century, when it was introduced to Europe (9). In 1670, Circassian traders introduced variolation to the Turkish “Ottoman” Empire. Women from the Caucasus, who were in great demand in the Turkish sultan's harem in Istanbul because of their legendary beauty, were inoculated as children in parts of their bodies where scars would not be seen. These women must also have brought the practice of variolation to the court of the Sublime Porte (4, 10).

How did Sydenham treat his patients?

Sydenham (1624–1689) treated his patients by allowing no fire in the room, leaving the windows permanently open, drawing the bedclothes no higher than the patient's waist, and administering “twelve bottles of small beer every twenty-four hours” (10).

Who was responsible for the introduction of variolation in England?

It was the continued advocacy of the English aristocrat Lady Mary Wortley Montague (Figure ​(Figure22)that was responsible for the introduction of variolation in England (10). In 1715, Lady Montague suffered from an episode of smallpox, which severely disfigured her beautiful face. Her 20-year-old brother died of the illness 18 months later. In 1717, Lady Montague's husband, Edward Wortley Montague, was appointed ambassador to the Sublime Porte. A few weeks after their arrival in Istanbul, Lady Montague wrote to her friend about the method of variolation used at the Ottoman court. Lady Montague was so determined to prevent the ravages of smallpox that she ordered the embassy surgeon, Charles Maitland, to inoculate her 5-year-old son. The inoculation procedure was performed in March 1718. Upon their return to London in April 1721, Lady Montague had Charles Maitland inoculate her 4-year-old daughter in the presence of physicians of the royal court.

Where did the word "pocke" come from?

It is derived from the Latin word varius, meaning “stained,” or from varus, meaning “mark on the skin.”. The term small pockes(pockemeaning sac) was first used in England at the end of the 15th century to distinguish the disease from syphilis, which was then known as the great pockes (8).

Where did the Golden Age of Islamic Medicine begin?

But while Abbasid Baghdad, with the House of Wisdom and the first maristans, may have begun the golden age of Islamic medicine, the center of learning and progress began to shift westward in the eighth century, to al-Andalus, today's southern Spain.

What was the spread of Islam?

In the East, the spread of Islam, beginning in the seventh century CE., sparked the assimilation of existing knowledge and its development in all branches of learning, including medicine. Arab conquerors rapidly absorbed much from their new subjects. Arabic became to the East what Latin and Greek had been to the West-the language of literature and of the arts and sciences, the common tongue of learned men from the Rann of Kutch to the French border-and the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Makkah, brought hundreds of thousands of pilgrims together each year, facilitating the exchange of ideas, knowledge and books.

How many books did Al-Zahrawi write?

Al-Zahrawi only wrote one book, Kitab al-Tasrif li-man 'Ajizja 'an al-Ta'lif (The Arrangement [of Medical Knowledge] for One Who is Unable to Compile [a Manual for Himself]), a compendium of 30 volumes on medicine, surgery, pharmacy and other health topics compiled during a 50-year career. Its last volume, the 300-page On Surgery, was the first book to treat surgery as a separate subject and the first illustrated surgical treatise. Covering ophthalmology, obstetrics, gynecology, military medicine, urology, orthopedics and more, it remained a standard surgical reference in Europe until the late 16th century.

What happened when the doctor passed by and saw the same man sitting by the side of the road?

When the doctor passed by a few days later, he saw the same man sitting by the side of the road. His stomach had shrunk, he had gained weight, and his color was back. Seeing the doctor, the man heaped praise on him.

What happened in 1120?

In 1120, a Muslim doctor was on his way to see his patient, the Almoravid ruler of Seville. By the side of the road he saw an emaciated man holding a water jug. The man's belly was swollen, and he was in obvious distress. "Are you sick?" the doctor asked. The man nodded.

Who took power from the Umayyad dynasty?

The Abbasids had taken power from the Damascus-based Umayyad dynasty. Abdulrahman, grandson of the 10th Umayyad caliph, escaped the massacre of his relatives and in 758 ce took asylum in Spain. Within a few years, this intrepid ruler had carved out a rival caliphate with its capital at Cordoba, and by the late 10th century Cordoba had surpassed Baghdad as the center of intellectual activity in the Islamic world.

Who translated Greek texts into Arabic?

Recognizing the importance of translating Greek works into Arabic to make them more widely available, the Abbasid caliphs Harun al-Rashid and his son, al-Ma'mun, sponsored a translation bureau in Baghdad-the Bayt al-Hikmah, or House of Wisdom-starting in the late eighth century, that sent agents throughout Muslim and non-Muslim lands in search of scholarly manuscripts in every language. Rendered into Arabic, these precious documents established a solid foundation for the Muslim sciences, not the least of which was medicine.

What was the Islamic culture of medicine?

Rather than being a subject in its own right, medicine was part of medieval Islamic culture. Centers of learning grew out of famous mosques, and hospitals were often added at the same site. There, medical students could observe and learn from more experienced doctors.

What were the influences of Islamic medicine?

Islamic medicine built upon the legacies of Greek and Roman physicians and scholars, including Galen, Hippocrates, and the Greek scholars of Alexandria and Egypt. Scholars translated medical literature from Greek ...

How many books did Al-Razi write?

As an author, al-Razi was prolific, penning more than 200 scientific books and articles. He also believed in experimental medicine.

What did Islamic thinkers do in medieval times?

In medieval times, Islamic thinkers elaborated the theories of the ancient Greeks and made extensive medical discoveries. There was a wide-ranging interest in health and disease, and Islamic doctors and scholars wrote extensively, developing complex literature on medication, clinical practice, diseases, cures, treatments, and diagnoses.

Why did Islamic scholars order data?

Islamic scholars expertly gathered data and ordered it so that people could easily understand and reference information through various texts.

When did Al-Razi live?

The Persian physician, chemist, alchemist, philosopher, and scholar al-Razi lived from 865 to 925 C.E.

Which medical field performed more surgeries than its Greek and Roman predecessors?

Medieval Islamic physicians performed more surgeries than their Greek and Roman predecessors, and they developed new tools and techniques.

When was smallpox first inoculated?

The first clear reference to smallpox inoculation was made by the Chinese author Wan Quan (1499–1582) in his Dòuzhěn xīnfǎ (痘疹心法) published in 1549, with earliest hints of the practice in China during the 10th century. In China, powdered smallpox scabs were blown up the noses of the healthy. People would then develop a mild case of the disease and from then on were immune to it. The technique did have a 0.5–2.0% mortality rate, but that was considerably less than the 20–30% mortality rate of the disease itself. Two reports on the Chinese practice of inoculation were received by the Royal Society in London in 1700; one by Dr. Martin Lister who received a report by an employee of the East India Company stationed in China and another by Clopton Havers. Voltaire (1742) reports that the Chinese had practiced smallpox inoculation "these hundred years". Variolation had also been witnessed in Turkey by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who later introduced it in the UK.

Who died of smallpox?

Famous historical figures who contracted smallpox include Lakota Chief Sitting Bull, Ramses V, the Kangxi Emperor (survived), Shunzhi Emperor and Tongzhi Emperor of China, Emperor Komei of Japan (died of smallpox in 1867), and Date Masamune of Japan (who lost an eye to the disease). Cuitláhuac, the 10th tlatoani (ruler) of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, died of smallpox in 1520, shortly after its introduction to the Americas, and the Incan emperor Huayna Capac died of it in 1527 (causing a civil war of succession in the Inca empire and the eventual conquest by the Spaniards). More recent public figures include Guru Har Krishan, 8th Guru of the Sikhs, in 1664, Louis I of Spain in 1724 (died), Peter II of Russia in 1730 (died), George Washington (survived), Louis XV of France in 1774 (died) and Maximilian III Joseph of Bavaria in 1777 (died).

What is the name of the disease that causes black pox?

Hemorrhagic smallpox is a severe form accompanied by extensive bleeding into the skin, mucous membranes, gastrointestinal tract, and viscera. This form develops in approximately 2 percent of infections and occurs mostly in adults. Pustules do not typically form in hemorrhagic smallpox. Instead, bleeding occurs under the skin, making it look charred and black, hence this form of the disease is also referred to as variola nigra or "black pox." Hemorrhagic smallpox has very rarely been caused by Variola minor. While bleeding may occur in mild cases and not affect outcomes, hemorrhagic smallpox is typically fatal.

What is the last wild case of smallpox?

Frequency. Eradicated (last wild case in 1977) Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by one of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The agent of variola virus (VARV) belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus.

How long does it take for a smallpox rash to develop?

Smallpox virus tended to attack skin cells, causing the characteristic pimples, or macules, associated with the disease. A rash developed on the skin 24 to 48 hours after lesions on the mucous membranes appeared.

How many people died from smallpox in the 20th century?

Smallpox is estimated to have killed up to 300 million people in the 20th century and around 500 million people in the last 100 years of its existence, including six monarchs. As recently as 1967, 15 million cases occurred a year. Inoculation for smallpox appears to have started in China around the 1500s.

How did smallpox spread?

Over a number of days the skin rash turned into characteristic fluid-filled blisters with a dent in the center. The bumps then scabbed over and fell off, leaving scars. The disease was spread between people or via contaminated objects. Prevention was achieved mainly through the smallpox vaccine. Once the disease had developed, certain antiviral medication may have helped.

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Eurasian Epidemics

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The origin of smallpox is unknown. The finding of smallpox-like rashes on Egyptian mummies suggests that smallpox has existed for at least 3,000 years. The earliest written description of a disease like smallpox appeared in China in the 4th century CE (Common Era). Early written descriptions also appeared in India in the 7th cen…
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African Epidemics

Epidemics in The Americas

Pacific Epidemics

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It has been suggested that smallpox was a major component of the Plague of Athens that occurred in 430 BCE, during the Peloponnesian Wars, and was described by Thucydides. Galen's description of the Antonine Plague, which swept through the Roman Empire in 165–180 CE, indicates that it was probably caused …
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Eradication

  • Smallpox is exogenous to Africa. One of the oldest records of what may have been an encounter with smallpox in Africa is associated with the elephant warcirca AD 568 CE, when after fighting a siege in Mecca, Ethiopian troops contracted the disease which they carried with them back to Africa. Arab ports in Coastal towns in Africa likely contributed to the importation of smallpox int…
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External Links

  • After first contacts with Europeans and Africans, some believe that the death of 90–95% of the native population of the New World was caused by Old World diseases.It is suspected that smallpox was the chief culprit and responsible for killing nearly all of the native inhabitants of the Americas. For more than 200 years, this disease affected all new world populations, mostly with…
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