On Wed, 8 Mar 2006 09:46:47 -0500, doloresc.phifer wrote
>  So, it is not a wonder why they were given the smallpox
> laden blankets which almost wiped their entire population out.

I'm pretty sure that that the use of infected blankets to spread smallpox has
proven to be a myth. The one instance of blankets given to the Indians that
alledgedly had been infected was at Fort Pitt during the French and Indian
War. Some blankets from the hopsital were give as gifts because those were
the only extra blankets available. The ability of a few blankets to even be
able to spread the pathogen has been questioned. The most likely cause of
spread of smallpox in that instance occured when the Indians scalped those
who had already died of smallpox putting them in direct contact with an
active pathogen from the blood.

Other than that one alledged incident where the Indians were given blankets
and there were people infected with smallpox present, there have been no
other documented incidents that Indians were given infected blankets to
deliberately spread the disease.

Regards,

Tom Apple

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