Smallpox - Symptoms

The first symptoms of smallpox were fever and chills, muscle aches, and a flat, reddish-purple rash on the chest, abdomen, and back. These symptoms lasted for about three days. Then the rash faded and the fever dropped.

A day or two later, the fever would return. A bumpy rash would begin to appear on the feet, hands, and face. The rash then spread to the chest, abdomen, and back. The individual bumps in the rash filled with clear fluid. They eventually became filled with pus over a period of ten to twelve days. The bumps (pox) would eventually form scabs. When the scabs fell off, a small pit was left on the skin. People who survived a smallpox infection were often terribly scarred in this way.

Death from smallpox was usually caused by complications. For example, bacteria could easily get into the open skin lesions. Pneumonia, bone infections, or other diseases would result.

An especially severe form of smallpox was called sledgehammer smallpox. The name came from the fact that the infection struck very quickly and with great force. It caused massive, uncontrolled bleeding from the skin lesions, the mouth, nose, and other areas of the body. A person could die very quickly from sledgehammer smallpox.

Throughout history, people have been terrified by smallpox. One reason for their concern was the ease with which the disease spread through whole communities. The other reasons for worry was that no cure for the disease was ever found.