Boston’s role at the center of vaccine history in the U.S.

The Colonial period experienced numerous epidemics, including measles in 1657 and Yellow Fever in 1699. However, it was smallpox that would become one of the deadliest diseases to the American colonies, with Boston’s significant port at the epicenter. During an <a href="https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-09-24/how-1721-boston-smallpox-epidemic-changed-medicine-launched-free-press-and-helped" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">outbreak in 1721</a>, there were 844 deaths in the city — almost 7% of the population — and surrounding Native American communities suffered a staggering death rate of up to 90%. In the wake of this outbreak and others before it, physicians, clergy members, scientists, and civilians were eager to find a way to combat the disease. <a href="https://medium.com/@mindandculture/bostons-role-at-the-center-of-vaccine-history-in-the-u-s-8248eae38359">Website</a>