ay inSmallpox, specifically the variola major variant, was a simple yet deadly DNA virus of the Poxviridae family that roamed as a menace on Earth since as far back as 10,000 BC.1 Smallpox primarily attacked skin, which lead to maculopapular eruptions covering the entire body, and subsequently, dire secondary complications.1 Smallpox was, without a doubt, once the deadliest dermatological disease in the global stage that had major influence in turning the tides in one of the defining events in our world history: The American Revolutionary War of 1775-1783.1
Years before the war, George Washington contracted smallpox at the age of 19.2 His survival meant he developed life-long immunity to smallpox, which was essential when smallpox outbreaks occurred in the heat of the Revolutionary War.1 2 Smallpox had disastrous effects in crowded military camps, as it could be rapidly transmitted directly from human to human.3 Washington even suspected it was used as a biological weapon especially after 1763, when British soldiers used smallpox to decimate native American populations.3
Due to smallpox being common in Europe, most British soldiers had already developed immunity.3 However, the average patriot soldier had no exposure and no immunity.3 To protect his ranks, Washington ordered immediate quarantine for any potentially infected soldier.3 He was aware of the 18th-century inoculation technique know as "variolation”, but delayed mandatory inoculation because it incapacitated soldiers for several weeks, which posed a logistical challenge for an army confronting a large enemy with superior training and equipment.3
However, when Washington invaded Quebec in hopes of removing British presence and making Canada part of the colonies, smallpox epidemic reemerged and infected 10,000 patriot troops.2 They succeeded in defeating the British, but with infection and mortality growing ever rapidly, they had to retreat.2 This tactical setback extended the war and, historians theorized that this outbreak of smallpox was the reason Canada did not become an American colony.2
Following these events, Washington sent out executive orders that the soldiers must be inoculated with smallpox in order to gain immunity.2 His medical directive included: controlled inoculation of one regiment at a time, and guarded quarantine during the recovery period in secrecy.2 Secrecy was crucial, as it was important for the British to not know parts of the Continental Army was incapacitated during inoculation.2 As the Revolutionary War approached its final stage in Yorktown, Washington was ready with an army immune to smallpox.2
On the opposite side, after facing numerous defeats, the British needed more recruits.4 In 1775, the British created a proclamation offering freedom to any slave who were willing to fight against the patriots.4 The idea spread like wildfire. Within days, hundreds of slaves flocked to British forces, and with hubris, sailed immediately to take back Virginia.4 However, some British troops carried smallpox, and exposed the disease to the runaway slaves who lacked immunity.4 Stuck in the confined quarters of the ships, the pox spread rapidly.4 Hundreds of bodies were dumped overboard, and the siege on Virginia failed.4
With this outbreak, fear and paranoia rose among the loyalists.4 Added with eurocentric racial bigotry, the British believed that African Americans were highly vulnerable to smallpox.4 The British then had to reverse their proclamation: freedom was no longer guaranteed.4 This consequently angered many current slaves, which in turn lead to several uprisings in loyalist plantations.4 A portion of the British forces had to direct their attention to control these uprisings.4 The slaves were then punished by being overworked, barely fed, and poorly clothed, which in turn, decreased the overall production of food.4
The British forces were then thinly stretched and malnourished due to the food shortages.4 Therefore, when the war peaked at the battle of Yorktown, the consequence of British policies created a butterfly effect which ultimately lead to their defeat in the Revolutionary War.4 Thus by the end of the Revolutionary War, smallpox helped defeat an empire and forge an American nation.4 By removing a global superpower from their lands, the US forged a path to become a global superpower themselves. As of this current day, smallpox is no longer a concern. Edward Jenner discovered the first vaccine to smallpox in 1795 – 12 years after the end of the Revolutionary War – and smallpox had been eradicated from the global stage.3
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