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Smallpox and the Native American

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ABSTRACT

With the arrival of Europeans in the Western Hemisphere, Native American populations were exposed to new infectious diseases, diseases for which they lacked immunity. These communicable diseases, including smallpox and measles, devastated entire native populations. In this article, we focus on the effect of smallpox on the Native Americans from the 15th through the 19th centuries. Among the “new” infectious diseases brought by the Europeans, smallpox was one of the most feared because of the high mortality rates in infected Native Americans. This fear may have been well-founded, because the Native Americans were victims of what was probably one of the earliest episodes of biological warfare. Fortunately, they were also major beneficiaries of early vaccination programs. Thus, the arrival of smallpox and the decline of the Native American populations are inexorably linked, as the history summarized here illustrates.

Section snippets

Definition of the Disease

An understanding of the role of smallpox in Native American populations necessitates an understanding of the disease itself and how it came to be widespread in the New World.

Known as the variola virus, the origin of the word smallpox is uncertain. The Anglo-Saxon word1 “smallpox” is believed to have been derived from pocca, which means “bag” or “pouch,” and the word “variola” from either varus or varius, 2 Latin words that mean “pimple” and “spotted,” respectively. The term variola was used as

The Sixteenth Century: The Introduction of the Epidemic

The 16th century witnessed the widespread use of maritime navigation as a means for travel, transportation of merchandise, and the discovery and conquering of new lands for the European monarchies. These explorers brought diseases with them to the New World, with often devastating consequences for the virgin population. The first reported case of smallpox in the Western Hemisphere occurred in 150714 on an island in the West Indies and was presumably introduced by sailors from Spain. Soon

The Seventeenth Century: The Arrival in North America

At the turn of the 17th century, smallpox was still unheard of among the fewer than 3 million Native Americans living north of Mexico.13., 16. An entire century had passed since the Spanish had invaded Central and South America and had brought with them the deadly smallpox. But the disease had not yet grown to epidemic proportions, even though several European expeditions had traversed this New World. It was not until the French, Dutch, and English established permanent North American

The Intentional Use of Smallpox to Subjugate Native Americans Tribes

In the 17th century the science of medicine was in its infancy. However, even with the limited knowledge of the time, it is reasonable to speculate that the European immigrants to the New World, and ultimately the Native Americans, understood that smallpox was a disease that could spread not only as a result of direct person-to-person contact, but also by clothing once worn by persons with smallpox. Moreover, although based upon published reports that are now difficult to confirm, the notion

The Beginnings of Variolation in the Eighteenth Century

While Pontiac was fighting for the survival of his homeland, the English settlers were repeatedly battling smallpox in their new homeland. The average death rate from smallpox in Boston between 1720 and 1775 was approximately 37 per 1000 persons. However, this rate doubled or even tripled during epidemics.16 During this same time, smallpox caused nearly 10% of the total deaths in the United Kingdom.

Lady Mary Wortley Montague, the wife of the British Ambassador of Constantinople,5., 7. is

The Nineteenth Century: Vaccination Begins

The 19th century began with Waterhouse requesting Thomas Jefferson, then President of the United States, to aid in introducing the practice into the Southern states. Jefferson personally vaccinated 70 to 80 members of his own family as well as his friends for a total of more than 200 people.27 Widespread vaccination reduced smallpox during the early 19th century, although epidemics still occurred in cities. It was also Jefferson who first succeeded in having Native Americans vaccinated.2 In

Conclusions

The introduction of smallpox into the Western Hemisphere has had devastating effects. Through the centuries, entire aboriginal populations have become extinct because of this disease. It shaped the areas that we now call North, South, and Central America. Although the majority of the epidemics that affected the Native Americans were accidental, it seems that some were initiated by intentional infection of a group of Native Americans by European settlers. This most probably represents the first

Acknowledgments

We would like to kindly thank Cam Patterson and Marschall Runge for their editorial assistance.

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