User:Ninapetersenn/Massachusetts smallpox epidemic

The Massachusetts smallpox epidemic occurred in 1633 near the Massachusetts bay region. The disease was hypothesized to be transmitted due to an increase in the immigration of European settlers to the region who brought Old World smallpox aboard their ships.

Smallpox defined

Smallpox, is known under scientific nomenclature as Variola virus. There are two strains of Variola virus, Variola major and Variola minor. The Variola major strain is the most common and is the strain that most likely wiped out indigenous and colonist populations during the 1633 epidemic. Variola major’s weaker sister, Variola minor, was less common and only results in approximately less than 1% of deaths related to smallpox.

Signs and symptoms of smallpox

The virus is spread by airborne salivae, like from a cough or saliva on a bed sheet, and can only be spread from human to human. The first stage of infection is the incubation period. The incubation period is the preliminary stage of infection where there is no knowledge of someone having smallpox, there are no physical manifestations of illness during this period. The length of the incubation period is typically 10-14 days. Following the incubation period, initial symptoms start to appear, such as a fever. Within the next few days, they start to form a rash on their skin, and tongue, and can even be found in their mouth and throat. The rash sores then form into pustules which eventually scab over and fall off. Once all of the scabs have fallen off, the person is no longer contagious.

Colonization and the Spread of Smallpox

Smallpox was not present in indigenous populations before the arrival of European settlers to the New World. Indigenous populations had no previous encounters with smallpox, so the disease was considered an unexpected and severe killer of their peoples compared to the predominant nature and consistent presence of the disease within Europe and Asia.

Cases and deaths

There are no explicit statistics on the number of cases of smallpox in the 1633 epidemic. Though there are rough estimates that after Europeans arrived to the New World, approximately 20 million people died.

Effect on Indigenous Populations

The indigenous tribe most populous in the Massachusetts Bay region during the 17th century was the Wampanoag tribe. The Wampanoag people were the first indigenous population to have contact with the European settlers arriving in Plymouth off the Mayflower. The estimates of the original Wampanoag population were approximately 12,000, though after the introduction of colonization and disease their populations were decimated to a mere 400. Due to the lack of immunity within indigenous communities, the disease ravaged their populations and caused a direct demographic shift on the populations of early American colonies. Other factors that contributed to the decimation of indigenous populations would be the dispersed nature of indigenous tribes. Due to the presence of English colonists spreading disease such as smallpox, there was a definitive demographic shift of the region from a dominant indigenous Wampanoag population to a growing English settler population.

How Massachusetts Handled the Outbreak

Response to the 1633 Epidemic

European settlers believed that the smallpox disease was the result of their religious sinfulness. As a means of treating their conditions, people began to pray to their Christian God and participate in fasting as well as repenting for their sins. Some individuals also responded by leaving the area to avoid the disease.

Variolation

Variolation was known as inoculation in Massachusetts during this time period. This is a procedure that can be performed a few different ways. They all included taking scabs or pus from someone who had natural smallpox. People would then take the scab or pus and inject it into their skin, or rub the matter on themselves. This would allow them to have a mild form of smallpox, which had a low mortality rate. Once someone has been infected with smallpox, they would never get the virus again. This operation allowed people to be immune for the rest of their lives. This is what a man named Cotton Mather proposed during the Boston smallpox epidemic of 1721. He sought out many doctors to perform this procedure, but the only one who was willing to try was Dr. Zabdiel Boylston. This doctor had a history of performing risky procedures, and when it was time to try inoculation he tested his hypothesis on his six-year-old son. The smallpox inoculation was deemed successful after much deliberation between government officials and other doctors. This procedure was then spread throughout the city in hopes to get the virus under control.

Effects on future outbreaks

After the events of the 1633 Massachusetts smallpox epidemic there were subsequent outbreaks of smallpox in the region. Most notably in 1721, there was a significant outbreak of smallpox in Massachusetts.

Smallpox burial ground near Nobscot Hill, this hill is near the Massachusetts Bay region.

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