smallpox cultural definition

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.

• A surface with many blemishes is sometimes said to be “pockmarked” because it resembles the skin of a smallpox sufferer.
• Smallpox is the first disease of humans to be completely eradicated by a worldwide campaign of inoculation.
• Today, the smallpox virus exists only in laboratories.
• The use of smallpox is a major concern in the area of bioterrorism (see also bioterrorism).