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Hokie360

Joined: 08/26/2006 Posts: 17911
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Reminded me of George Washington inoculating soldiers against smallpox.


Purposely tried to infect Revolutionary War soldiers with a mild case of smallpox, in hopes of preventing a more serious epidemic within the Continental Army.

The best inoculation technique at Washington’s disposal during the Revolutionary War was a nasty and sometimes fatal method called “variolation.”

“An inoculation doctor would cut an incision in the flesh of the person being inoculated and implant a thread laced with live pustular matter into the wound,” explains Fenn. “The hope and intent was for the person to come down with smallpox. When smallpox was conveyed in that fashion, it was usually a milder case than it was when it was contracted in the natural way.”

Variolization still had a case fatality rate of 5 to 10 percent. And even if all went well, inoculated patients still needed a month to recover.

(In response to this post by Stork)

Link: https://www.history.com/news/smallpox-george-washington-revolutionary-war


Posted: 09/10/2020 at 12:49PM


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Current Thread:
 
  Interesting theory that masks allow just enough exposure to the virus -- Stork 09/10/2020 12:34PM
  That's not new--that's been known for a long time -- bulab 09/10/2020 5:59PM
  Low Viral load? -- Fatman 09/10/2020 1:05PM
  Reminded me of George Washington inoculating soldiers against smallpox. -- Hokie360 09/10/2020 12:49PM
  Interesting. ** -- RoswellGAHokie 09/10/2020 12:37PM

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