Rotting Face
The term rotting face refers to the confluent pustules that were  a common symptom of the variola major strain of smallpox in  Native American communities. Robertson, a retired businessman  and veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, examines how this  horrifying disease decimated Native American populations in the  Americas by telling its story in two parts. The odd-numbered  chapters examine in sobering detail an outbreak of smallpox on  the Upper Missouri River in 1837-38 that killed an estimated  20,000 Native Americans, most of whom were Arickaras, Blackfeet,  Hidatsas, or Mandans. The even-numbered chapters broadly assess  the impact of smallpox throughout the Americas, offering a  survey that, unfortunately, pales in comparison to the detailed  Upper Missouri River case study. Academic and public libraries  needing an excellent continental survey to complement this  recommended work should also purchase Noble D. Cook's Born To  Die: Disease & New World Conquest (1492-1650) (Cambridge Univ.,  1998). Academic libraries should also consider Disease &  Demography in the Americas (Smithsonian Inst., 1992), edited by  John W. Verano and Douglas Ubelaker. John Burch, Campbellsville  Univ., KYCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.