#variola
“Showing numerous incipient papules upon the face. Those upon the forehead were the first to appear and are most prominent. the cheeks present a characteristic leathery appearance.”
A Practical Treatise on Smallpox by George Henry Fox, 1903
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“A case of moderate severity, with well-developed vesicles and characteristic grouping of lesions upon the face.”
A Practical Treatise on Smallpox by George Henry Fox, 1903
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“Showing upon the face and cheeks a form of the disease commonly known as ‘black smallpox.’ (…) The swelling and disfigurement of the face present a most striking appearance.”
A Practical Treatise on Smallpox by George Henry Fox, 1903
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“Showing a few thick crusts remaining upon the face with numerous dull red spots from which the crusts have fallen.”
A Practical Treatise on Smallpox by George Henry Fox, 1903
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“These illustrations show a partly confluent character which the eruption frequently presents, even in mild cases, and especially upon the legs. The influence of pressure in developing a more profuse eruption may be noted above the ankles, where shoes were laced, and below the knees, where garters were worn.”
A Practical Treatise on Smallpox by George Henry Fox, 1903
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“These illustrations show the pustular lesions in the stages of complete distention when they present a rounded appearance, and of incipient desiccation, when they appear flattened and with a central depression or ‘secondary umbilication.’”
A Practical Treatise on Smallpox by George Henry Fox, 1903
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“This shows the earliest eruption upon back and buttocks. The photograph was taken about seven hours after its first appearance. The patient was sent to Riverside Hospital where she developed hemorrhagic smallpox, and died on the fourth day.”
A Practical Treatise on Smallpox by George Henry Fox, 1903
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“Fig. 3 shows severe pitting, a partial loss of hair and eyebrows, and destruction of one eye.”
A Practical Treatise on Smallpox by George Henry Fox, 1903
Healing after smallpox was a slow process. Victims were often unrecognizable to those who knew them before the illness.
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“Fig. 1 shows umbilicated pustules with an intense edema of the foot, considerably increasing in its size and causing much pain. Fig. 2 shows the epidermis raised in a large, irregular patch by the confluence of pustules.”
A Practical Treatise on Smallpox by George Henry Fox, 1903
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“Figs. 1 and 3 show the dried pustules remaining in the thickened skin of palm and sole after the crusts have fallen elsewhere. Fig. 2 shows the superficial desquamation which follows the falling of the crusts, producing rings of partly detached epidermis.“
A Practical Treatise on Smallpox by George Henry Fox, 1903
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1818221, acrylic on canvas, December 2018
Images of Henry Bedson and Janet Parker. Parker was the last person to contract smallpox and the poor safety practices of Bedson’s smallpox lab were responsible for her catching the disease. Bedson committed suicide shortly before Janet died.
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