John & Abigail & Smallpox
Plodding Through The Presidents
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Show Notes
We dig into the separate smallpox inoculations of John and Abigail Adams and the heartfelt and hilarious love letters this supercouple exchanged during their quarantines, along with some background on Lady Mary Montagu's bold introduction of the smallpox inoculation from Turkey to England.
(A note: This is our very first episode, and we were still finding our rhythm and voice. You're welcome to start here, but you might want to start with Season 2 or newer episodes for a better sense of how we've evolved!)
Sources:
Founders Online - letters between John & Abigail Adams
Time Magazine: How One Daring Woman Introduced the Idea of Smallpox Inoculation to England by Thomas Hager
The Story of Smallpox in Massachusetts by Samuel Bayard Woodward, M.D.
Inspired by my post "Love in the Time of Smallpox"
Show notes and sources at plodpod.com
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