smallpox. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002

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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002.

smallpox


An acute and infectious disease caused by a virus and now almost completely eradicated. Smallpox was characterized by high fever and large sores on the body that leave scars.	1
‡ A surface with many blemishes is sometimes said to be “pockmarked” because it resembles the skin of a smallpox sufferer.	2
‡ Smallpox is the first disease of humans to be completely eradicated by a worldwide campaign of inoculation.	3
‡ Today, the smallpox virus exists only in laboratories.	4
‡ The use of smallpox is a major concern in the area of bioterrorism.	5

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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