The History of the World in 100 Pandemics, Plagues and Epidemics by Paul Chrystal

Author:Paul Chrystal
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Medical / History
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2020-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 25

The 1702–1703 St. Lawrence Valley smallpox epidemic

‘The French intruders took most of the blame and were snubbed in every way; they were “dreaded as the greatest sorcerers on earth”. Death threats were made to the missionaries and one was clubbed, another threatened with a cleaver to the head; the mission house was burnt almost to the ground.’

One of the earliest references to smallpox in Canada comes in 1635 and relates to an outbreak among the Montagnais Indians who lived on the banks of the St Lawrence at Three Rivers, as related in the Jesuit Le Jeune’s Relation of that year. Le Jeune tells how he witnessed that many of the Indians were sick and many died; indeed ‘it [smallpox] was so universal amongst the savages of our acquaintance that I do not know of one who has escaped its attacks…many crops are lying beneath the snow’. Later, when a mission was established with the Hurons at Ihonaturia near Georgian Bay, smallpox broke out and decimated the tribe; the Hurons put it down to the ‘medicine’ of the black robes. The following year ‘the pestilence which for two years past had from time to time visited the Huron towns, now returned with tenfold violence and with it soon appeared a new and fatal scourge – the small-pox. Terror was universal’.1 The season of Huron festivity turned into the season of mourning; suicides increased, ‘Silent dejection’ prevailed and ‘Everywhere was heard the wail of the sick and dying children…at the sides of the house[s] crouched squalid men and women, in all the stages of the distemper.’

The French intruders took most of the blame and were snubbed in every way; they were ‘dreaded as the greatest sorcerers on earth’. Death threats were made to the missionaries and one was clubbed, another threatened with a cleaver to the head; the mission house was burnt almost to the ground. Especially tragic was the high mortality amongst children in the three villages worst affected: St. Michel, St. Ignace and St. Joseph: 260 had been baptised here - more than 70 children under 7 years died - the Jesuit baptisers got the blame. The smallpox went on intermittently until 1640.

In 1661 the Attikamegues, or Nation of the White Fish, were almost wiped out by the Iroquios and those the Iroquois did not kill the ravages of the smallpox took. Indeed 1661 and 1662 provided a ‘rich harvest’ for the disease: of the more than 200 who received holy baptism that winter over 120 ‘died soon after to take their flight to heaven’. In 1663 the Iroquois were savagely afflicted by ‘sad havoc’ resulting in deserted villages and half-tilled fields. ‘More than 300 dying children were baptised by some captive Frenchmen.’ Smallpox persisted until 1665 and by 1680 war, smallpox and alcohol ‘swept away more than 1,000 souls’ reducing the once proud tribe to a shadow of its former self.

The carnage continued with horrific descriptions of ‘monsters rather than human beings, their bodies were so hideous, emaciated

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