Record Details



Enlarge cover image for Pox Americana : the great smallpox epidemic of 1775-82 / Elizabeth A. Fenn. Book

Pox Americana : the great smallpox epidemic of 1775-82 / Elizabeth A. Fenn.

Summary:

Publisher description: A horrifying epidemic of smallpox was sweeping across the Americas when the War of Independence began, and yet we know almost nothing about it. Elizabeth A. Fenn reveals how deeply variola affected the outcome of the war in every colony and the lives of everyone in North America. By 1776, when military action and political ferment increased the movement of people and microbes, the epidemic worsened. Fenn's research shows us how smallpox devastated the American troops at Quebec and kept them at bay during the British occupation of Boston. Soon the disease affected the war in Virginia, where it ravaged slaves who had escaped to join the British forces. During the terrible winter at Valley Forge, General Washington had to decide if and when to attempt the risky inoculation of his troops. In 1779, while Creeks and Cherokees were dying in Georgia, smallpox broke out in Mexico City, whence it followed travelers going north, striking Santa Fe and outlying pueblos in January 1781. Simultaneously it moved up the Pacific coast and east across the plains as far as Hudson's Bay. The destructive, desolating power of smallpox made for a cascade of public-health crises and heartbreaking human drama. Fenn's work shows how this tragedy was met and what its consequences were for America.

Record details

  • ISBN: 0809078201
  • ISBN: 9780809078202
  • ISBN: 9780965031585
  • ISBN: 0965031586
  • ISBN: 080907821X
  • ISBN: 9780809078219
  • Physical Description: xiv, 370 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm
  • Edition: 1st ed.
  • Publisher: New York : Hill and Wang, 2001.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
Variola -- Vigilance -- Control -- Surrender -- Entierros -- Traders -- Connections -- Passages.
Subject:
Smallpox > United States > History > 18th century.
Medicine > History > 18th century.
Smallpox > history
History, 18th Century
United States
Medicine
Smallpox
United States
USA
Smallpox > United States > History > 18th century.
USA.
Genre:
History

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Northwest Indian College.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Lummi Library RC 183.49 .F46 2001 100000700 Stacks Available -