Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1882-02-22
History''of SMALLPOX.
A Plague. That Has Held Sway for Twelve
Centuries.

centuries.
Ofall the plaques tt ut have ariscI
from time TO time, or infested elite;
or countries, none is more dreaded
NONE Is more persistent, none j,
more communicable or fatal thar
was small poy u century ago. Blu,
whence or how the disease arose il
is not 80 easy to say. Other plaques
have vcXcd the earth tor n time
AMI then passed away, leaving nc
vestige of their ravagrs, rs did the
great plague ut Athens, during the
great PelOpOnnesian war, or the
plague in England of Charles | l., but
smallpox, out content with l. ccntu.
rics OF sway, still holds it's own, DIES.
pitc the discoveries of science. 1t
is unquestiOnably true that diseases
of such contagious nature generally
arise among filthy and illcondition.
ed people, confined in narrow. quar-.
ters. This was the case with the
Athenian plague, and it was again
the case in the Jewish quarters of
European cities. Contagious dis.
eases were comparatively rare
among the Romans and Greeks OF
the lllustrious periods, owing to
the free public baths aud excellent
sanitary and gymnastc habits Of
the times.
lt was reserved for the middle or
dark ages to furnish the most dread.
fnl .exasnnlrS pf .ncstilcnce. Small.
period of medieval times. 1t first
invaded England in the ninth cen.
fury; it was common in Arabia in
the tenth; the Crnsadcs carried it
through all Southern Europe it
reached Norway in the fourteenth
century; in ljl7 it was carried to
st. Domingo by the Spaniards along
with slavery, the lnquisition, the
rack, and host of other blessings
three years later il crossed tn
Mexico and slew three millions; it
Invaded Iceland in 1907, and Green.
land in 1888, Staying Il fourth part
of the residents in the former and n
Large proportion of those in the
latter country, and despite all that
medical skill has done and is doing
to cast it from the earth, it bids fair
to retain its hold, in some measure,
as long as popular ignorance, DIES.
titution, negligence and careless.
ness continue to combat the physi.
clans and the dictates of common
sense.
Its history is thus unique; other
contagious diseases have proved as
fatal nndcr similar circumstances
for limited periods; none have con.
tinued their blasting work for 10
centuries in all climates from Mexico
to Greenland. 1t is not unrcason.
able, therefore, that its approach
should he hailed with terror as is
the approach of almost no other
disease. yellow fever and ASiatic
cholera, even, have caused no such
potent and widespread destruction.
The very air it talntS carries lntec
ton; garments in contact with
patients carry their haucful power
for years II shut upin tight closets;
1t can be communicated hy mail or
by the wind, 10y railroad, hy ocean
voyage, by manifest means which .
cannot he guarded against. 1t is
not only dangerous, but loathsomc
IN It's progress; it drives away ones
friends, thruSts him into unuttcr
able fortunes and leaves him often
wreck for life, with ruined health
and dlstigured countenancc. When
to all this is added its persistent
temperance ut almost definite
periods, it is not to he wondered at
that smallpox scarcs are so com.
mon.