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The Speckled Monster: A Historical Tale of Battling Smallpox
The Speckled Monster tells the dramatic story of two parents who dared to fight back against smallpox. After barely surviving the agony of smallpox themselves, they flouted eighteenth-century medicine by borrowing folk knowledge from African slaves and Eastern women in frantic bids to protect their children. From their heroic struggles stems the modern science of immunology as well as the vaccinations that remain our only hope should the disease ever be unleashed again. Jennifer Lee Carrell transports readers back to the early eighteenth century to tell the tales of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and Dr. Zabdiel Boylston, two iconoclastic figures who helped save London and Boston from the deadliest disease mankind has known.
504 pages, Paperback
First published April 10, 2003
84 people are currently reading
5346 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Lee Carrell
4 books374 followersI've always wanted to write books; early on, my fallback career choices were ballerina and astronaut. It has something of a surprise, though, to find myself writing thrillers. I am now working on a novel of historical fiction about one of my favorite paintings, Jan Van Eyck's Arnolfini Wedding.
Learn more at my web site: www.jenniferleecarrell.com , or visit me on Facebook . I welcome interaction with readers!
A NOTE ABOUT MY REVIEWS: I include the following:
Five Stars: books of many genres that hang incandescently in my imagination
Everything else - unstarred: books that I admire in the genres of historical fiction, mystery & thriller, fantasy & fairy tales, Shakespeare, and History. For the sake of time and my sanity, I include here only those books that are in some way relevant to what I write. The exception is my Children's Book list, which lists the books I loved most as a child.
If a book is listed here, I have either read and admired it, or it's in my "must read" pile. I'll be gradually trying to say why for many of them...
Learn more at my web site: www.jenniferleecarrell.com , or visit me on Facebook . I welcome interaction with readers!
A NOTE ABOUT MY REVIEWS: I include the following:
Five Stars: books of many genres that hang incandescently in my imagination
Everything else - unstarred: books that I admire in the genres of historical fiction, mystery & thriller, fantasy & fairy tales, Shakespeare, and History. For the sake of time and my sanity, I include here only those books that are in some way relevant to what I write. The exception is my Children's Book list, which lists the books I loved most as a child.
If a book is listed here, I have either read and admired it, or it's in my "must read" pile. I'll be gradually trying to say why for many of them...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 202 reviews
September 18, 2021
On a warmy, sunny day in early May, Jen Carrell took the subway from her hotel to the offices of her publisher, Dutton, to learn her fate.
Jen had never published a book before, and had spent the last of her advance on the flight from Arizona to meet with her editor, Amy. It was expensive, but she had always longed to visit the Met, and she took feedback better in person. Still, her heart was thudding as she sat down in Amy’s cluttered office.
“Jen! I’m thrilled you could make it! I absolutely love your novel,” her editor gushed.
Jen could hear the “but” in her voice. “What is it, what’s wrong? The market research—Dutton hasn’t decided not to publish, have they?”
“No, no, nothing like that. Don’t be so nervous. We absolutely want to publish, and there are plenty of readers interested in the history of medicine. In fact, the execs want to fast-track your book, if you can have the final draft in by the end of next month. There’s just one little thing. We think it would sell much better as nonfiction.”
For a moment Jen could only stare. She had always known she wanted to be a novelist. Her degree was in literature; she was already daydreaming about her next novel, a murder mystery set in a Shakespearean theater. She loved history, but she had never intended to write it. “But Amy. . . .”
“I know it’s a surprise, but it actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it. You clearly did a ton of research. All your characters were real people. And the structure doesn’t quite fit a traditional novel, you know? I mean, the romantic interest between your two leads is barely there.”
“Well, yes. That’s because there’s no evidence they even met in real life.”
“You see what I mean? You know the history inside and out, and I’ve seen your list of sources. You can revise it into a historical biography in no time.”
Jen ran her hands through her blonde hair, a longtime nervous habit. “I don’t think I can. I’ve read historical biographies. Turning my novel into one would require rewriting it from the ground up.”
“Oh no, I don’t think so. Just some minor edits—”
“You don’t understand.” Jen cleared her throat. “It’s a novel, Amy. I researched it extensively, yes. I love history, and I don’t see the point of historical fiction if it isn’t accurate. But that was just a starting point. I wrote it in scenes, from the point-of-view of people who never recorded all that information. Thoughts, feelings, sensations, relationships, personalities, motivations . . . all that’s mine. One of the protagonists, Zabdiel, all we know about his personal life are the names of his wife and children! I fleshed them out, gave them a courtship and a family life. Where there are gaps in the historical evidence, or where I didn’t find the historical records very credible, I filled in with narrative that seemed compelling and convincing to me. For goodness’ sakes, I even inserted kids discussing the Dread Pirate Roberts, just because I love the Princess Bride so much!”
“Hmm.” Amy fidgeted with her watch, beginning to look nervous. “But you quoted these people’s writings extensively. . . .”
“Yes, but with my edits. Not just for modern spelling and readability, but I rearranged their arguments. Sometimes I created scenes where they spoke these words instead of writing them. I even wrote scenes about them writing these documents, what they were thinking and feeling at the time. . . .” Jen shook her head. “I just don’t see it, Amy. I love that you have so much faith in me, but to make this book nonfiction I’d have to go back to square one. And there’s absolutely no way I can do that by the end of next month.”
“All right, all right, I hear you. Let me think.” Amy paused for a moment, steepling her fingers. “Suppose you just . . . wrote up extensive notes we could add to the end of the book? You know, explaining which parts were fact and which were fiction? I think that would satisfy the market, and we could leave your text as is.”
“They’d run fifty pages,” Jen said, her heart sinking. Her heart had been so set on publishing a novel, but she could see she wasn’t going to win this one. “I don’t know. . . .”
“I know you can do it.” Amy clapped once, smiling brightly. “Great work, Jen. Keep me updated on your progress. And tell Johnny hi from me.”
--
NOTES: There is no record of how The Speckled Monster came to be published under the label of “nonfiction,” despite being a predominantly fictional narrative. I have surmised that this must have been a misguided corporate decision, not an uncommon occurrence in today’s America. While this scene is my invention, its description of the end result is accurate. I have given author Jennifer Carrell the nickname “Jen”; her acknowledgments reveal that her editor was Amy Hughes of Dutton, a subsidiary of Penguin Group USA, and that her husband’s name is Johnny. I have taken her physical description, educational background, and home state from the author photo and bio at the end of the book. Several years later, Carrell did in fact publish the mystery novel she references.
--
In sum: this scene and its following notes are both written in the style of and equally as factual as the book itself. Needless to say, a disappointment for this reader, who came to the book expecting a factual account of the early days of smallpox inoculation and biographies of interesting historical figures. I wound up skimming most of it, as I was uninterested in the author’s inventions. Fascinating subject, but 45 pages of small print explaining how you made most of it up do not transform a novel into nonfiction.
Jen had never published a book before, and had spent the last of her advance on the flight from Arizona to meet with her editor, Amy. It was expensive, but she had always longed to visit the Met, and she took feedback better in person. Still, her heart was thudding as she sat down in Amy’s cluttered office.
“Jen! I’m thrilled you could make it! I absolutely love your novel,” her editor gushed.
Jen could hear the “but” in her voice. “What is it, what’s wrong? The market research—Dutton hasn’t decided not to publish, have they?”
“No, no, nothing like that. Don’t be so nervous. We absolutely want to publish, and there are plenty of readers interested in the history of medicine. In fact, the execs want to fast-track your book, if you can have the final draft in by the end of next month. There’s just one little thing. We think it would sell much better as nonfiction.”
For a moment Jen could only stare. She had always known she wanted to be a novelist. Her degree was in literature; she was already daydreaming about her next novel, a murder mystery set in a Shakespearean theater. She loved history, but she had never intended to write it. “But Amy. . . .”
“I know it’s a surprise, but it actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it. You clearly did a ton of research. All your characters were real people. And the structure doesn’t quite fit a traditional novel, you know? I mean, the romantic interest between your two leads is barely there.”
“Well, yes. That’s because there’s no evidence they even met in real life.”
“You see what I mean? You know the history inside and out, and I’ve seen your list of sources. You can revise it into a historical biography in no time.”
Jen ran her hands through her blonde hair, a longtime nervous habit. “I don’t think I can. I’ve read historical biographies. Turning my novel into one would require rewriting it from the ground up.”
“Oh no, I don’t think so. Just some minor edits—”
“You don’t understand.” Jen cleared her throat. “It’s a novel, Amy. I researched it extensively, yes. I love history, and I don’t see the point of historical fiction if it isn’t accurate. But that was just a starting point. I wrote it in scenes, from the point-of-view of people who never recorded all that information. Thoughts, feelings, sensations, relationships, personalities, motivations . . . all that’s mine. One of the protagonists, Zabdiel, all we know about his personal life are the names of his wife and children! I fleshed them out, gave them a courtship and a family life. Where there are gaps in the historical evidence, or where I didn’t find the historical records very credible, I filled in with narrative that seemed compelling and convincing to me. For goodness’ sakes, I even inserted kids discussing the Dread Pirate Roberts, just because I love the Princess Bride so much!”
“Hmm.” Amy fidgeted with her watch, beginning to look nervous. “But you quoted these people’s writings extensively. . . .”
“Yes, but with my edits. Not just for modern spelling and readability, but I rearranged their arguments. Sometimes I created scenes where they spoke these words instead of writing them. I even wrote scenes about them writing these documents, what they were thinking and feeling at the time. . . .” Jen shook her head. “I just don’t see it, Amy. I love that you have so much faith in me, but to make this book nonfiction I’d have to go back to square one. And there’s absolutely no way I can do that by the end of next month.”
“All right, all right, I hear you. Let me think.” Amy paused for a moment, steepling her fingers. “Suppose you just . . . wrote up extensive notes we could add to the end of the book? You know, explaining which parts were fact and which were fiction? I think that would satisfy the market, and we could leave your text as is.”
“They’d run fifty pages,” Jen said, her heart sinking. Her heart had been so set on publishing a novel, but she could see she wasn’t going to win this one. “I don’t know. . . .”
“I know you can do it.” Amy clapped once, smiling brightly. “Great work, Jen. Keep me updated on your progress. And tell Johnny hi from me.”
--
NOTES: There is no record of how The Speckled Monster came to be published under the label of “nonfiction,” despite being a predominantly fictional narrative. I have surmised that this must have been a misguided corporate decision, not an uncommon occurrence in today’s America. While this scene is my invention, its description of the end result is accurate. I have given author Jennifer Carrell the nickname “Jen”; her acknowledgments reveal that her editor was Amy Hughes of Dutton, a subsidiary of Penguin Group USA, and that her husband’s name is Johnny. I have taken her physical description, educational background, and home state from the author photo and bio at the end of the book. Several years later, Carrell did in fact publish the mystery novel she references.
--
In sum: this scene and its following notes are both written in the style of and equally as factual as the book itself. Needless to say, a disappointment for this reader, who came to the book expecting a factual account of the early days of smallpox inoculation and biographies of interesting historical figures. I wound up skimming most of it, as I was uninterested in the author’s inventions. Fascinating subject, but 45 pages of small print explaining how you made most of it up do not transform a novel into nonfiction.
June 30, 2010
I couldn't put this book down. Although a history book, it was written by a literature professor and reads like a novel. This is the story of the two people--Lady Mary in London and Dr. Boylston (with Cotton Mather's help)in Boston--who in 1721 each began experiments in smallpox innoculation as learned from the Turks and their African slaves. Despite great personnal hardship and danger, they ultimately helped prove that the vacine, although dangerous was much less so than catching smallpox the normal way.
Carrell brings the settings and the people alive so that they seem to be neighbors rather than historical figures. Her "footnote" essays at the end of the book provide details on where she got the information for her well researhed account, what was true, what was altered and how she came to her conclusions.
A fantastic read.
Carrell brings the settings and the people alive so that they seem to be neighbors rather than historical figures. Her "footnote" essays at the end of the book provide details on where she got the information for her well researhed account, what was true, what was altered and how she came to her conclusions.
A fantastic read.
June 13, 2013
Some of us are old enough to remember lining up at school for polio vaccine. It's hard to convey what it meant to our parents to know this childhood terror could be prevented with a simple oral dose of medicine (bless you, Dr. Salk).
In the 17th & 18th C., smallpox destroyed populations, upset the balance of power in European courts as it killed rulers and heirs, and terrified communities at the first sign of the distinctive pox. Prior to Edward Jenner making the connection between cowpox and smallpox vaccination, two brave individuals, a Boston physician named Zabdiel Boylston and an English aristocrat, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, risked ridicule, censure and even death threats to spread the idea of inoculation against smallpox. They didn't fully understand the disease, but they did see how people in Turkey, and African slaves, exposed themselves to the disease through subcutaneous methods and gained immunity. To save their children, Boylston and Lady Mary risked all and inoculated them against "the speckled monster".
If you like medical histories, you'll enjoy this book. The author writes in an easy, novelistic style that brings the characters to life and makes it read like a mystery. The research is wonderful, but be forewarned--it contains photos of smallpox victims in the terminal stages of the illness that are not for the faint of heart.
Smallpox ceased to be a threat in the 1970s. Other diseases have cropped up to concern us, but none of them have the impact of what smallpox did in its time.
In the 17th & 18th C., smallpox destroyed populations, upset the balance of power in European courts as it killed rulers and heirs, and terrified communities at the first sign of the distinctive pox. Prior to Edward Jenner making the connection between cowpox and smallpox vaccination, two brave individuals, a Boston physician named Zabdiel Boylston and an English aristocrat, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, risked ridicule, censure and even death threats to spread the idea of inoculation against smallpox. They didn't fully understand the disease, but they did see how people in Turkey, and African slaves, exposed themselves to the disease through subcutaneous methods and gained immunity. To save their children, Boylston and Lady Mary risked all and inoculated them against "the speckled monster".
If you like medical histories, you'll enjoy this book. The author writes in an easy, novelistic style that brings the characters to life and makes it read like a mystery. The research is wonderful, but be forewarned--it contains photos of smallpox victims in the terminal stages of the illness that are not for the faint of heart.
Smallpox ceased to be a threat in the 1970s. Other diseases have cropped up to concern us, but none of them have the impact of what smallpox did in its time.
April 19, 2016
3.5 stars.
This is a tough one to review. Because it's a fascinating and compelling story and it's clearly very well researched. It's not even remotely dry and it managed to make history very readable.
But.
So much of it is speculation. It's well researched, yes. But it's been turned into a narrative. And there's actually an entire chunk at the back of the book where the author is like "Okay, so in Chapter 1, this, this, and this actually happened. Person X wrote this letter but I changed the wording a little. This meeting and the conversation that follows was something I just made up, but it seems totally implausible for it NOT to happen that way."
So while it's telling an important story - hi, smallpox could easily wipe out the entire human race if it ever makes a resurgence and we're not prepared. And it's great to see folk healers in Turkey and Africa acknowledged for their role in helping uncover a vaccination - it's also a book that you have to take with a grain of salt because so much of it is BASED in fact but with significant alterations to make it more interesting.
This is a tough one to review. Because it's a fascinating and compelling story and it's clearly very well researched. It's not even remotely dry and it managed to make history very readable.
But.
So much of it is speculation. It's well researched, yes. But it's been turned into a narrative. And there's actually an entire chunk at the back of the book where the author is like "Okay, so in Chapter 1, this, this, and this actually happened. Person X wrote this letter but I changed the wording a little. This meeting and the conversation that follows was something I just made up, but it seems totally implausible for it NOT to happen that way."
So while it's telling an important story - hi, smallpox could easily wipe out the entire human race if it ever makes a resurgence and we're not prepared. And it's great to see folk healers in Turkey and Africa acknowledged for their role in helping uncover a vaccination - it's also a book that you have to take with a grain of salt because so much of it is BASED in fact but with significant alterations to make it more interesting.
June 18, 2019
An absolutely terrific book documenting the development and eventual acceptance of vaccination as a means of preventing smallpox. While the book reads much like a novel, it follows very well the well-documented account of the acceptance of inoculation (introducing a small amount of 'matter' from the pustules of an infected person under the skin of an uninfected person to introduce a mild reaction which would result in an immunity to contracting a full-blown case of the disease). Central to the store are the two main figures, one in Europe and one in the fledgling United States in the early 1800's. Inoculation had been done prior to 1700's in both Turkey and among certain tribes in Africa. Both Lady Mary Montagu in London, and Dr. Zabdiel Boylston in Boston (survivors of smallpox), adopted the practice after hearing about it from completely different sources. Lady Montagu came to a knowledge of it from her experience of living in Turkey with her husband, an ambassador posted there for a certain period of time. Dr. Boylston learned of the practice from one of his Negro slaves. Both of these people had their children inoculated, in the early 1700's, to save them from the horrible experience (and possible death) that both of them had experienced.
The most interesting part of this story, apart from the historical background, is how both of these parents fought against the skeptism and prejudice of people at the time. Politics, politics! It would not be until almost 1800 that Edward Jenner developed a method of vaccination people against this dreaded disease.
The book is so well-written. The author has done a marvelous job of jumping between the two parallel stories of Lady Montagu and Dr. Boylston, documenting their efforts to make the practice of inoculation more accepted and widespread. While reading the book I was continually engaged in the story and what was going to happen next. The author did a wonderful job in her writing.
The most interesting part of this story, apart from the historical background, is how both of these parents fought against the skeptism and prejudice of people at the time. Politics, politics! It would not be until almost 1800 that Edward Jenner developed a method of vaccination people against this dreaded disease.
The book is so well-written. The author has done a marvelous job of jumping between the two parallel stories of Lady Montagu and Dr. Boylston, documenting their efforts to make the practice of inoculation more accepted and widespread. While reading the book I was continually engaged in the story and what was going to happen next. The author did a wonderful job in her writing.
September 8, 2010
Things I learned from this book: smallpox was so named to differentiate it from syphilis, because that was the more important pox. Who’d a thunk, right? I mean, as far as I know, smallpox has killed waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more people, so you’d think there wouldn’t be any contest over who gets to be the “big” pox. Anyway, I was very confuzzled by that particular naming process, until I remembered that syphilis has gotten a lot less virulent over the years. Nowadays it just gives you the occasional chancre, perhaps an unsightly rash, and the rare fit of syphilitic madness after a few decades or so of infection. Back when it first appeared, though, it could make your entire fucking face fall off in a matter of months.
Now that’s a disease.
I also learned the difference between vaccination and inoculation: vaccination involves a weakened, dead, or variant strain of a disease, and inoculation involves full-on infection and taking your gotdamn chances. HARDCORE. I mean, it’s still better than catching it naturally, because you haven’t been weakened by ALL THE DYING PEOPLE AROUND YOU, and also getting a little guck smeared in an open wound is probably better than handling the corpses of the afflicted day in and day out. I’m just guessing. In conclusion, this book finally explained a peculiar practice of the 1920s to me: dermatologists used to take puss from people’s acne and try to inoculate them with it so that they’d be “cured” of zits. Newsflash: it didn’t work. I read about that as a teenager and was like, “WHY on EARTH would they even TRY something so DISGUSTING?!” Well, now I know. But it’s still disgusting.
And doesn’t make any scientific sense, either, because zits are caused by bacteria, not a virus. BUT WHATEVER.
This was a pretty good book. It wasn’t about huge advances in medicine (because inoculation wasn’t a huge advance in medicine: it had been practiced in Africa and the Middle East for hundreds if not thousands of years). It was about getting a bunch of stubborn, assholish Westerners to get their heads outta their butts and try something that had clearly saved the lives of people they considered inferior. In England, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu spent a good deal of a particular smallpox season trying to persuade her highborn friends to pick up a practice she’d learned about while her husband served as an ambassador to the Ottoman Empire; in Boston, a lowly doctor tried to get his afflicted townspeople to take up a practice he’d learned about from the local slaves. Both met with a lot of resistance, and both ended up saving a lot of lives. They were both compelling stories (although I think the American side is probably less well-known to laypeople), but I did have some beef with the way the author told it. Carrell was pretty upfront about trying to “flesh things out,” but sometimes her flights of fancy just got annoying. Like, I don’t mind if you try to imagine what a particular person was thinking or feeling, but it gets obnoxious when it’s all, “And then she gave her husband that special look that always passed between them on an amorous evening.”
Ladies? Gents? I doubt the historical record reads, “And then they totally boned.” So I don’t really need you to add that in for me, thanks.
Otherwise, pretty good. I would advise y’all to check out her chapter notes, however, just to separate fact from conjecture.
Recommended for: Disease buffs.
Now that’s a disease.
I also learned the difference between vaccination and inoculation: vaccination involves a weakened, dead, or variant strain of a disease, and inoculation involves full-on infection and taking your gotdamn chances. HARDCORE. I mean, it’s still better than catching it naturally, because you haven’t been weakened by ALL THE DYING PEOPLE AROUND YOU, and also getting a little guck smeared in an open wound is probably better than handling the corpses of the afflicted day in and day out. I’m just guessing. In conclusion, this book finally explained a peculiar practice of the 1920s to me: dermatologists used to take puss from people’s acne and try to inoculate them with it so that they’d be “cured” of zits. Newsflash: it didn’t work. I read about that as a teenager and was like, “WHY on EARTH would they even TRY something so DISGUSTING?!” Well, now I know. But it’s still disgusting.
And doesn’t make any scientific sense, either, because zits are caused by bacteria, not a virus. BUT WHATEVER.
This was a pretty good book. It wasn’t about huge advances in medicine (because inoculation wasn’t a huge advance in medicine: it had been practiced in Africa and the Middle East for hundreds if not thousands of years). It was about getting a bunch of stubborn, assholish Westerners to get their heads outta their butts and try something that had clearly saved the lives of people they considered inferior. In England, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu spent a good deal of a particular smallpox season trying to persuade her highborn friends to pick up a practice she’d learned about while her husband served as an ambassador to the Ottoman Empire; in Boston, a lowly doctor tried to get his afflicted townspeople to take up a practice he’d learned about from the local slaves. Both met with a lot of resistance, and both ended up saving a lot of lives. They were both compelling stories (although I think the American side is probably less well-known to laypeople), but I did have some beef with the way the author told it. Carrell was pretty upfront about trying to “flesh things out,” but sometimes her flights of fancy just got annoying. Like, I don’t mind if you try to imagine what a particular person was thinking or feeling, but it gets obnoxious when it’s all, “And then she gave her husband that special look that always passed between them on an amorous evening.”
Ladies? Gents? I doubt the historical record reads, “And then they totally boned.” So I don’t really need you to add that in for me, thanks.
Otherwise, pretty good. I would advise y’all to check out her chapter notes, however, just to separate fact from conjecture.
Recommended for: Disease buffs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2015
Since the beginning of time smallpox has killed hundreds of millions of people. The disease killed more people than the plague and all the 20th Century wars combined. Long before Edward Jenner perfected a vaccination in 1796, Lady Mary Wortley Montague of London and Zabdiel Boylston of Boston learned about inoculation in two surprisingly different ways. Each determined to use this knowledge to prevent others from contracting smallpox.
In The Speckled Monster Jennifer Lee Carrell tells the story of how these two people fought smallpox in the 1720s. Unknown to each other, they simultaneously waged this war on two different continents and managed to promote the idea of smallpox inoculation in the English-speaking world.
Doctors of this time had heard about inoculation and dismissed it as an old wives tale. Lady Mary and Boylston were not researchers or formally trained doctors. They were not concerned with how the inoculations worked, only that they did. Lady Mary defied her husband and had her children inoculated. Boylston found himself traveling the streets of Boston at night to inoculate people who didn’t want their neighbors to know.
Carrell’s book reads like a novel. I suspected how the book was going to end but it was fascinating to watch the heroes battle the establishment. I found myself looking forward to the end of each chapter when I would go to the notes section at the end of the book and read the details she didn’t include in the book. Perhaps even more interesting was the name dropping of historical characters throughout the book, some who heeded Lady Mary’s and Boylston’s advice and others who battled it until the very end.
I did not expect to like or even finish this book when I picked it up, but the style of writing drew me in and the story that unfolded kept me reading to the end and then past that through the end notes. I would recommend The Speckled Monster to anyone interested in history or even historical fiction.
In The Speckled Monster Jennifer Lee Carrell tells the story of how these two people fought smallpox in the 1720s. Unknown to each other, they simultaneously waged this war on two different continents and managed to promote the idea of smallpox inoculation in the English-speaking world.
Doctors of this time had heard about inoculation and dismissed it as an old wives tale. Lady Mary and Boylston were not researchers or formally trained doctors. They were not concerned with how the inoculations worked, only that they did. Lady Mary defied her husband and had her children inoculated. Boylston found himself traveling the streets of Boston at night to inoculate people who didn’t want their neighbors to know.
Carrell’s book reads like a novel. I suspected how the book was going to end but it was fascinating to watch the heroes battle the establishment. I found myself looking forward to the end of each chapter when I would go to the notes section at the end of the book and read the details she didn’t include in the book. Perhaps even more interesting was the name dropping of historical characters throughout the book, some who heeded Lady Mary’s and Boylston’s advice and others who battled it until the very end.
I did not expect to like or even finish this book when I picked it up, but the style of writing drew me in and the story that unfolded kept me reading to the end and then past that through the end notes. I would recommend The Speckled Monster to anyone interested in history or even historical fiction.
October 30, 2009
I would actually give this 2 1/2 stars if I could. A timely read considering the H1N1 flu epidemic, this book traces the difficult path to acceptance of smallpox inoculation (which is slightly different from vaccination, because inoculation used live smallpox matter, not the less serious cowpox virus) in both England and Colonial Boston. In England, it traces Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (who I know only as an author) as she learns about inoculation during her husband's time as ambassador to Turkey and then spreads the controversial practice among the upper class of London upon her return. In Boston, we follow Zabdiel Boylston (who I know only as a Boston street name) as he learns about the practice from African slaves and attempts to gain acceptance for its use. Both faced enormous resistance, including personal attacks, in their efforts to spread the use of the life-saving practice (smallpox killed 1 in 8 that it infected). Where the book gets lost is in its overly long exposition and dizzying array of minor players who simply can't be kept track of (quite possibly there were hundreds). A closer focus on the two major real-life characters would have tightened up the prose considerably. The good news is that smallpox has been eradicated.
November 12, 2015
This is one of the most intriguing books I have ever read
December 1, 2017
This is the 2nd time I've read The Speckled Monster. I read it several years ago and liked it then; but either I skipped numerous pages the first time, or paid more attention this time! What a story Ms. Carrell has woven about the battle to overcome the dreaded smallpox that raged throughout the world in the 1600s, 1700s, 1800s & was finally won in the 1970s! Looking back from this world of available vaccinations and anti-biotics, it's easy to call those who practiced medicine in the Age of Enlightenment mere quacks. Most doctors and surgeons back then dealt with disease and illness as best they could with the knowledge they obtained either from education or from practical experience.
I liked that the author wrote about real people with real facts, too. The two main characters, Lady Mary, and Dr. Boylston (I prefer Dr. to Mr.) were the heroine and hero of their day. What courage they had to see the bigger picture beyond their own front doors, to continue their innoculation practices even though their communities feared what they were doing, despised them for it and wanted them to stop. Innoculation was the ONLY barrier to smallpox until the vaccination became available many decades later.
I am old enough to have a smallpox scar and to have grown up when that fearsome disease was still prevelant in the world (although I was a child then - ha!). Smallpox was eradicated from the world just before I had my first child. I think I would have fought just as bravely as Lady Mary & Dr. Boylston to keep my family safe. I would have been pounding on their door to join their list of innoculated patients.
I liked that the author wrote about real people with real facts, too. The two main characters, Lady Mary, and Dr. Boylston (I prefer Dr. to Mr.) were the heroine and hero of their day. What courage they had to see the bigger picture beyond their own front doors, to continue their innoculation practices even though their communities feared what they were doing, despised them for it and wanted them to stop. Innoculation was the ONLY barrier to smallpox until the vaccination became available many decades later.
I am old enough to have a smallpox scar and to have grown up when that fearsome disease was still prevelant in the world (although I was a child then - ha!). Smallpox was eradicated from the world just before I had my first child. I think I would have fought just as bravely as Lady Mary & Dr. Boylston to keep my family safe. I would have been pounding on their door to join their list of innoculated patients.
April 14, 2019
What a great history of smallpox and the birth of inoculation and later vaccination. It amazes me that we still see many of the same misperceptions regarding vaccines that we did in the 1700s. This story was well written and fairly easy to read. Carrell maintained my interest by making me interested in the well being of the inoculators. I would highly recommend this to anyone in the medical profession and those interested in medical history.
May 2, 2011
This was another that took a little time to get into, but once I did I was fascinated! The true story of Zabdiel Boylston and Lady Mary--2 courageous people who brought about the smallpox inoculation in the 1700's. It's interesting how the book is set-up...first Lady Mary's story (which in my opinion, wasn't as good) followed by Boylstons. After a certain point the chapters flip flop back and forth between stories.
It's hard to imagine living in a time when disease was so rampant and deadly, yet people formed mobs to harm those who were working for a cure. What a story--I have great respect for these amazing people.
It's hard to imagine living in a time when disease was so rampant and deadly, yet people formed mobs to harm those who were working for a cure. What a story--I have great respect for these amazing people.
August 12, 2015
This narrative account of how smallpox vaccine was developed is very readable.
January 13, 2016
In a deftly written narrative that straddles the line between historical non-fiction and superbly researched historical fiction, author Jennifer Lee Carrell brings the reader face-to-face with the full-blown horror of the dreaded smallpox outbreaks of 18th Century London and Boston. She interweaves the gripping stories of London's Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and Boston's Dr. Zabdiel Boylston --two intrepid and indefatigable individuals determined to offer their vastly disparate social circles new hope against the virulent "distemper" of smallbox via the strange Eastern practice of inoculating people with discharge from the nightmarish pustules that characterized the disease.
Sparing no gory (and morbidly fascinating) detail while providing the reader with a rich, page-turning account of the lives and conditions of a time when smallpox claimed the lives or disfigured the rich, poor, evil, and innocent with equally ferocious indifference, Carrell has crafted a powerful reminder of the days when both the royal and the pauper were subject to one of the worst plagues ever to beset humanity. Whether on the edge of your seat as you attend the suffering in their fetid sickrooms, or dashing across crystalline Balkan plains toward exotic Constantinople (where Lady Mary will encounter the world-changing "miracle" of inoculation), the reader is rewarded by an account that is as sobering and exciting as it is moving.
'The Speckled Monster' is a triumphant story of human suffering and of the relentlessness of the human spirit in the face of almost certain disaster. The simultaneous fragility and preciousness of human life is underscored by the mellifluous craftsmanship of Carrell's fascinating account, which features copious end-notes and summarized biographies that fortify the historical gravity of the tale. This work is highly recommended for all who enjoy top-flight historical fiction, but the story has immense import for our own day, when the relative healthiness of human existence is often taken for granted in Western society, and debates about the safety of vaccinations and inoculations continue to make headlines and elicit controversy. ~Jonathan Kieran
Sparing no gory (and morbidly fascinating) detail while providing the reader with a rich, page-turning account of the lives and conditions of a time when smallpox claimed the lives or disfigured the rich, poor, evil, and innocent with equally ferocious indifference, Carrell has crafted a powerful reminder of the days when both the royal and the pauper were subject to one of the worst plagues ever to beset humanity. Whether on the edge of your seat as you attend the suffering in their fetid sickrooms, or dashing across crystalline Balkan plains toward exotic Constantinople (where Lady Mary will encounter the world-changing "miracle" of inoculation), the reader is rewarded by an account that is as sobering and exciting as it is moving.
'The Speckled Monster' is a triumphant story of human suffering and of the relentlessness of the human spirit in the face of almost certain disaster. The simultaneous fragility and preciousness of human life is underscored by the mellifluous craftsmanship of Carrell's fascinating account, which features copious end-notes and summarized biographies that fortify the historical gravity of the tale. This work is highly recommended for all who enjoy top-flight historical fiction, but the story has immense import for our own day, when the relative healthiness of human existence is often taken for granted in Western society, and debates about the safety of vaccinations and inoculations continue to make headlines and elicit controversy. ~Jonathan Kieran
January 11, 2008
If you have any interest in immunology or 18th century American (colonial)/British history, you might just adore this book.
It is like a novel in that you are drawn into the story, woven into its weave as if you were a thread yourself. Except, the characters, rather than fictitious friends of the author's pen, are ... were there, actually there in 18th century London and Boston. They mingled among friends such as Alexander Pope and wrote accounts of their dealings with "the speckled monster," (also known as smallpox, or the small pox or ...) to the Royal Society ... practically to Newton himself.
She has taken the shreds of historical record, left in letters and narrative accounts that escaped burning and loss, and has not only detailed the western realization of innoculation, but has given us a glimpse into the world inhabited by our predecessors on both sides of the pond.
And as if the story in itself was not enough, Ms. Carrell was gracious enough to reveal her hand at the end ... her notes separate exactly her research from her creative story telling.
I read this book in its entirety in 2004 or so, and then, in love with Lady Mary, I just re-read the chapters on London (which take you to the Turkish baths, a highlight - another highlight is Mrs. Elizabeth Harrison; sentenced to death at the gallows, reprieved for subjecting herself to innoculation to satisfy the King's curiosity).
Well done!
(And I've just learned of Carrell's "Interred With Their Bones," next on my list.)
It is like a novel in that you are drawn into the story, woven into its weave as if you were a thread yourself. Except, the characters, rather than fictitious friends of the author's pen, are ... were there, actually there in 18th century London and Boston. They mingled among friends such as Alexander Pope and wrote accounts of their dealings with "the speckled monster," (also known as smallpox, or the small pox or ...) to the Royal Society ... practically to Newton himself.
She has taken the shreds of historical record, left in letters and narrative accounts that escaped burning and loss, and has not only detailed the western realization of innoculation, but has given us a glimpse into the world inhabited by our predecessors on both sides of the pond.
And as if the story in itself was not enough, Ms. Carrell was gracious enough to reveal her hand at the end ... her notes separate exactly her research from her creative story telling.
I read this book in its entirety in 2004 or so, and then, in love with Lady Mary, I just re-read the chapters on London (which take you to the Turkish baths, a highlight - another highlight is Mrs. Elizabeth Harrison; sentenced to death at the gallows, reprieved for subjecting herself to innoculation to satisfy the King's curiosity).
Well done!
(And I've just learned of Carrell's "Interred With Their Bones," next on my list.)
February 11, 2008
I learned a lot from this book: history, medicine and the lives of two courageous people, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu in England and Zabdiel Boylston in the American colonies. One thing that struck me was that people will form mobs and persecute for anything they don't fully understand - as they did with Zabdiel Boylston in Boston for innoculating those people who asked to be innoculated (mobs aren't saved only for religious differences). Another thing I learned is that medicinal history continues to repeat itself - doctors schooled in medicine are so unwilling to accept that midwives and medicine men have anything of real value to add to their 'modern' knowledge of medicine. They resisted innoculating 300 years ago, just like they resisted acupuncture and chiropractic up until the last 20 years - and innoculating has proven to be the method by which thousands of lives have been saved from horrific diseases.
The other ironic thing I've noticed is how many people who are into 'alternative' medicine for their families strongly resist having their children vaccinated - if they only knew that innoculating against diseases first started with the 'alternative' medicine world, and that it took them years and years to finally be accepted into the 'mainstream' medicine world!
Great historical story!
The other ironic thing I've noticed is how many people who are into 'alternative' medicine for their families strongly resist having their children vaccinated - if they only knew that innoculating against diseases first started with the 'alternative' medicine world, and that it took them years and years to finally be accepted into the 'mainstream' medicine world!
Great historical story!
December 13, 2021
This book was hard for me to get through. I learned a lot about the history of smallpox in in Britain and the United States in the 18th century but I am not a fan of historical fiction at all.. The author has attempted to make a thrilling narrative by massaging the primary sources and creating conversations among long-dead people. In her detailed notes at the end of the book she explains what is documented and what parts come from her imagination but I found it exasperating.
December 24, 2014
"The Speckled Monster" is an engaging, beautifully written near-novelization of how inoculation for smallpox was introduced to England and America in the 1720s. The author has taken great pains to bring the people of the historical incidents to life using primary sources that range from letters and journals to scholarly publications of the time period. The result is largely entertaining and informative.
Personally, I am not usually a fan of this style of writing history since it relies heavily on conjecture, assumption, and imagination. However, given the scope of the project and its narrow focus (smallpox in 1720), the presentation holds together well, mitigating or rendering harmless the method's inevitable inaccuracies. The narrative really comes to life thanks to a well-formed timeline that provides structure and eventually pulls the two stories into a convergent whole.
The book flows quickly until the last third, which gets sluggish in its long catalogues of whom was inoculated when. The conclusion and aftermath picks up the pace again.
Definitely read the endnotes, chapter source summaries, and people descriptions; these round out the narrative and explain exactly what actually happened vs. what is guesswork.
Personally, I am not usually a fan of this style of writing history since it relies heavily on conjecture, assumption, and imagination. However, given the scope of the project and its narrow focus (smallpox in 1720), the presentation holds together well, mitigating or rendering harmless the method's inevitable inaccuracies. The narrative really comes to life thanks to a well-formed timeline that provides structure and eventually pulls the two stories into a convergent whole.
The book flows quickly until the last third, which gets sluggish in its long catalogues of whom was inoculated when. The conclusion and aftermath picks up the pace again.
Definitely read the endnotes, chapter source summaries, and people descriptions; these round out the narrative and explain exactly what actually happened vs. what is guesswork.
February 3, 2021
3 1/2 stars. I loved learning about the ways in which smallpox changed and traumatized the world until a vaccine was created. What a terrible disease! And I am SO grateful to live in a time when we can benefit from all of the scientific study about the eradication of disease. So, 5 stars for that aspect.
However, I found the format of this book kind of strange. Normally I would expect the author to use historical stories as part of elucidating and educating about the disease. But instead the book ventured into the territory of a VERY detailed fictional novel. It felt the book couldn't decide whether to be historical fiction or historical, and it was suspended in an awkward place between.
However, I found the format of this book kind of strange. Normally I would expect the author to use historical stories as part of elucidating and educating about the disease. But instead the book ventured into the territory of a VERY detailed fictional novel. It felt the book couldn't decide whether to be historical fiction or historical, and it was suspended in an awkward place between.
December 28, 2018
I had no idea how devastating and horrible smallpox was. It truly was a plague that repeatedly ravished societies. It was fascinating to learn about the faith and fight to introduce inoculation in a time when doctors understood so little about disease. It was a miracle.
This book is categorized as non fiction but it is written like a novel. I was a little disappointed when I read the notes and felt the author may have added too many undocumented details to make her story flow, but it did make it very readable.
This book is categorized as non fiction but it is written like a novel. I was a little disappointed when I read the notes and felt the author may have added too many undocumented details to make her story flow, but it did make it very readable.
February 19, 2021
In terms of popular history, this book veered slightly too far into imaginative and speculative fiction than pure historical fact, but otherwise the story it told was interesting and aligned with my fascination with the early history of vaccination. Also, smallpox is extremely intense: a fact which this book communicated extremely well.
July 11, 2014
really good read. Everything you never wanted to know about a truly horrible scourge and the courage of two people, one America, one Brit, to combat it through primitive inoculation.
August 11, 2017
Two very interesting cases of smallpox. To think this could still happen today is very sad. A really good read to educate yourself on what happens and what can be done to deal with it.
June 9, 2021
Due to its length, this is not for the faint of heart. It's a decent listen, though my attention did wander once in a while. Not riveting but solid.
August 4, 2017
I've wanted to read this book for ages and ages. Admittedly, I thought it was a typical nonfiction book, so I was surprised to open it and find a narrative that, for all intents and purposes, read like historical fiction--albeit impeccably researched historical fiction. I noticed that other reviewers are pretty split on whether they like this or not, and I'm not entirely sure myself. But this is something that the publishers definitely should have addressed better in the back cover text, which sounds like a typical nonfiction book. Something along the lines of, "spinning the impeccable research of nonfiction with the narrative threads of historical fiction..." (obviously that's a first draft!).
For historical fiction, it's absolutely fantastic for a history lover. We're not limited to the "characters'" points of view, so we get accurate information about statistics and the broader world, without going into the clinical depth of a typical nonfiction book. At the same time, there are detailed historical notes at the end of the book--not footnotes--and there's one for every chapter! They're easily skipped, but they're also easily referenced for nerds like me.
All that said, I did get a bit slowed down by the nonfiction elements in the middle of the book, when Carrell got a bit caught up in detailed descriptions of the comings and goings of individuals on ships in the Boston harbor. It seems as though this would be a perfect place to cut a few "characters" and streamline the narrative.
Even more than a month after finishing this book, I'm astounded that these two stories took place at exactly the same time on different sides of the Atlantic. What are the odds that both London and Boston would embark on inoculation experiments not only in the same year, but in the same summer? Okay, well, actually the timing was probably related to the weather supporting the illness, but still! This book also serves as a fascinating introduction to the history of modern scientific practices: many of the building blogs of the scientific method are there in the experiments conducted.
It's also not hard to draw parallels between early inoculations and today's anti-vaccer movement. In those days, there was a rumor that inoculation caused the plague; today there are rumors that vaccines cause autism, though we have much more evidence from clinical studies now. In both cases, though, there simply was no swaying many of those determined to be afraid of modern medicine.
All in all, a fascinating book and one that I would happily recommend to fans of both historical fiction and nonfiction.
Quote Roundup
69: "Englishmen," [a Turkish woman] informed her companions after inspecting the boned corset, "lock up their wives in little boxes shaped like their bodies." ... European women, they all assured Lady Mary through her interpretess, were to be pitied for being such slaves as to be kept prisoner in their own clothing; no man of the East would dream of such barbarity.
Okay, I just love reading about intercultural interactions like this. No other reason this is here.
Though "interpretess" did bother me. Lady Mary is at a Turkish bath--I think it's safe to use "interpreter" and trust that readers won't be confused about the gender.
78: "I cannot forbear admiring the very great sagacity of the men who first invented this method," [Maitland] said upon one return.
"What makes you think it was men?" asked Lady Mary, raising an eyebrow.
He stopped in his tracks and stared at her. "I--"
"Men do not practice it. Why should they have invented it?"
101: Four short lessons [for a New England doctor]: Do as little as Possible. Be clean. When surgery is absolutely necessary--be decisive, precise, and lighting quick. Above all, take knowledge wherever you find it. By which is father meant pay attention to the Indians. Those who are left.
I would argue that the rules of medicine haven't changed much, though I do think that more attention should be paid to alternative medicinal practices. Alas, they're not moneymakers enough for major companies to sponsor the research.
112: I loved the description from Onesiumus's point of view of a winter New England robbed of color and heat. What an awful way to arrive in a new place without warning! I mean, even given the circumstance of arriving as a slave. At least the heat of the South would have been somewhat familiar.
248: I wish there had been a tad more speculation about why Mather delayed so long with inoculating his children if he was such a staunch supporter of inoculation. Surely he would have understood, if not in quite as many words, that the showmanship involved in inoculating a member of his family would bring positive attention and respect to the practice. Yes, on this page he worries that if it goes wrong, people will be against the practice--but if he was so confident, why worry?
Obviously that's oversimplified, but it's hard to understand how others might reconcile the contrast between Mather's words and actions. Perhaps that hypocrisy is just always been something that people expect of leaders.
335: Absolutely fascinating to read that most of Harvard got on board with inoculation, if informally! I wonder if their history museum touches on that at all.
355: Here we get some comments from England very reminiscent of anti-vaccers:
“Mr. Maitland is grubbing for money and patronage.”
“A new way to murder with impunity!”
“An artificial way of depopulating the whole country.”
391: After receiving good evidence that the British were using smallpox-infected blankets and refugees as an insidious weapon—and knowing the terrible vulnerability of most of his men—George Washington had the entire Continental Army inoculated in 1777. Washington’s own face was already famously scarred from an earlier bout with the disease, contracted on a visit to Barbados in 1751. But Marth had herself inoculated, so that she might visit her husband in the soldiers’ camps with impunity; smallpox parties became popular among Revolutionary women—including Abigail Adams and Mrs. John Hancock.
Quotes from the Notes…
411: I have so much respect for doctors in those days. I hadn’t actually thought about it, but young doctors sometimes [deliberately infected themselves with diseases]. They were otherwise virtually useless in an epidemic. … Before the shields of antisepsis and antibiotics, being a doctor was not for the faint of heart; repeatedly risking “putrid” fevers (typhus and typhoid, not then differentiated), dysentery, and various streptococcal infections, to name just a few of the common killers in colonial New England, required no small dose of courage. At least smallpox only had to be suffered once.
Well, unfortunately I've forgotten why I flagged most of the passages I did, so that's it. Alas!
For historical fiction, it's absolutely fantastic for a history lover. We're not limited to the "characters'" points of view, so we get accurate information about statistics and the broader world, without going into the clinical depth of a typical nonfiction book. At the same time, there are detailed historical notes at the end of the book--not footnotes--and there's one for every chapter! They're easily skipped, but they're also easily referenced for nerds like me.
All that said, I did get a bit slowed down by the nonfiction elements in the middle of the book, when Carrell got a bit caught up in detailed descriptions of the comings and goings of individuals on ships in the Boston harbor. It seems as though this would be a perfect place to cut a few "characters" and streamline the narrative.
Even more than a month after finishing this book, I'm astounded that these two stories took place at exactly the same time on different sides of the Atlantic. What are the odds that both London and Boston would embark on inoculation experiments not only in the same year, but in the same summer? Okay, well, actually the timing was probably related to the weather supporting the illness, but still! This book also serves as a fascinating introduction to the history of modern scientific practices: many of the building blogs of the scientific method are there in the experiments conducted.
It's also not hard to draw parallels between early inoculations and today's anti-vaccer movement. In those days, there was a rumor that inoculation caused the plague; today there are rumors that vaccines cause autism, though we have much more evidence from clinical studies now. In both cases, though, there simply was no swaying many of those determined to be afraid of modern medicine.
All in all, a fascinating book and one that I would happily recommend to fans of both historical fiction and nonfiction.
Quote Roundup
69: "Englishmen," [a Turkish woman] informed her companions after inspecting the boned corset, "lock up their wives in little boxes shaped like their bodies." ... European women, they all assured Lady Mary through her interpretess, were to be pitied for being such slaves as to be kept prisoner in their own clothing; no man of the East would dream of such barbarity.
Okay, I just love reading about intercultural interactions like this. No other reason this is here.
Though "interpretess" did bother me. Lady Mary is at a Turkish bath--I think it's safe to use "interpreter" and trust that readers won't be confused about the gender.
78: "I cannot forbear admiring the very great sagacity of the men who first invented this method," [Maitland] said upon one return.
"What makes you think it was men?" asked Lady Mary, raising an eyebrow.
He stopped in his tracks and stared at her. "I--"
"Men do not practice it. Why should they have invented it?"
101: Four short lessons [for a New England doctor]: Do as little as Possible. Be clean. When surgery is absolutely necessary--be decisive, precise, and lighting quick. Above all, take knowledge wherever you find it. By which is father meant pay attention to the Indians. Those who are left.
I would argue that the rules of medicine haven't changed much, though I do think that more attention should be paid to alternative medicinal practices. Alas, they're not moneymakers enough for major companies to sponsor the research.
112: I loved the description from Onesiumus's point of view of a winter New England robbed of color and heat. What an awful way to arrive in a new place without warning! I mean, even given the circumstance of arriving as a slave. At least the heat of the South would have been somewhat familiar.
248: I wish there had been a tad more speculation about why Mather delayed so long with inoculating his children if he was such a staunch supporter of inoculation. Surely he would have understood, if not in quite as many words, that the showmanship involved in inoculating a member of his family would bring positive attention and respect to the practice. Yes, on this page he worries that if it goes wrong, people will be against the practice--but if he was so confident, why worry?
Obviously that's oversimplified, but it's hard to understand how others might reconcile the contrast between Mather's words and actions. Perhaps that hypocrisy is just always been something that people expect of leaders.
335: Absolutely fascinating to read that most of Harvard got on board with inoculation, if informally! I wonder if their history museum touches on that at all.
355: Here we get some comments from England very reminiscent of anti-vaccers:
“Mr. Maitland is grubbing for money and patronage.”
“A new way to murder with impunity!”
“An artificial way of depopulating the whole country.”
391: After receiving good evidence that the British were using smallpox-infected blankets and refugees as an insidious weapon—and knowing the terrible vulnerability of most of his men—George Washington had the entire Continental Army inoculated in 1777. Washington’s own face was already famously scarred from an earlier bout with the disease, contracted on a visit to Barbados in 1751. But Marth had herself inoculated, so that she might visit her husband in the soldiers’ camps with impunity; smallpox parties became popular among Revolutionary women—including Abigail Adams and Mrs. John Hancock.
Quotes from the Notes…
411: I have so much respect for doctors in those days. I hadn’t actually thought about it, but young doctors sometimes [deliberately infected themselves with diseases]. They were otherwise virtually useless in an epidemic. … Before the shields of antisepsis and antibiotics, being a doctor was not for the faint of heart; repeatedly risking “putrid” fevers (typhus and typhoid, not then differentiated), dysentery, and various streptococcal infections, to name just a few of the common killers in colonial New England, required no small dose of courage. At least smallpox only had to be suffered once.
Well, unfortunately I've forgotten why I flagged most of the passages I did, so that's it. Alas!
January 20, 2024
Brilliantly researched, magnificent character development and suspense. I could not stop reading it!
February 18, 2025
This book was very informative and worth reading, though it was rather dry at times.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
September 19, 2019
Excellent narrative nonfiction that looks at two people: Lady Mary Wortley Montagu of London and Zabadiel Boyston of Boston, both of whom learned about smallpox inoculation. Both of them had survived rough cases and were quite scarred, and knew many who had died of smallpox. She learned about inoculation while on a 1-year posting (for her husband) in Istanbul, where it had been practiced from some time. He learned about it through pamphlets from England that discussed its use in Turkey and Africa.
Lady Mary had her son inoculated, and then encouraged various doctors and others to read about it and learn more. With her personality and connections, she managed to get doctors to run a trial on 6 Newgate prisoners.
Boyston learned about it from Cotton Mather, who received the pamphlets from the Royal Society in London. He then asked his adult slave, and talked to other Africans around Boston and saw their scars. Boyston was the only doctor/apothecary willing to try. As smallpox brought on a ship swept through town, he started by inoculating his youngest son and two slaves. After their recovery, he slowly inoculated others.
Carrell skips back and forth between London and Boston, as Boyston is inoculating desparate people and London doctors are experimenting at the request of the queen. Both learn the others are looking into it. Both have detractors and setbacks (more so Boyston, with no medical degree).
Very well done. Carrell has exceptional sources--Lady Mary herself, Boyston's notes, Cotton Mather, the various doctors in England, newspapers, Royal Society proceedings, and more. Usually I hate it when historians put words into peoples' mouths, but she did a magnificent job and had a lot of their own words to work with. Very readable, and very very interesting!
Lady Mary had her son inoculated, and then encouraged various doctors and others to read about it and learn more. With her personality and connections, she managed to get doctors to run a trial on 6 Newgate prisoners.
Boyston learned about it from Cotton Mather, who received the pamphlets from the Royal Society in London. He then asked his adult slave, and talked to other Africans around Boston and saw their scars. Boyston was the only doctor/apothecary willing to try. As smallpox brought on a ship swept through town, he started by inoculating his youngest son and two slaves. After their recovery, he slowly inoculated others.
Carrell skips back and forth between London and Boston, as Boyston is inoculating desparate people and London doctors are experimenting at the request of the queen. Both learn the others are looking into it. Both have detractors and setbacks (more so Boyston, with no medical degree).
Very well done. Carrell has exceptional sources--Lady Mary herself, Boyston's notes, Cotton Mather, the various doctors in England, newspapers, Royal Society proceedings, and more. Usually I hate it when historians put words into peoples' mouths, but she did a magnificent job and had a lot of their own words to work with. Very readable, and very very interesting!
March 13, 2017
I read this out of pure curiosity and so glad I did. I remember being vaccinated back in the 70's, along with the rest of the students at my elementary school, so I thought I would see what all the hoopla was about. Again, so glad I did.
Not trying to make a statement one way of the other on the pro's & con's of vaccination but, for those who do not want to vaccinate their children this is a must read. It seems we have either forgotten or I my case are ignorant of the cause and effect of the disease. This book was very eye opening ... well, that's an understatement.
I never knew the full facts of what happened to the human body during a case of smallpox and at first I thought there was absolutely no way these descriptions could be true. As I read on it became apparent to me that they were not only true but, horrific. Grotesquely swollen bodies covered with pox that oozed puss with the smell of rancid meat. Mouths and throats filled with so many pox that some died from thirst?
If ever I am told that I need a "booster shot" for the prevention of smallpox, please get out of my way or try to keep up because I would only feel guilty, for a second, for knocking you out of the way trying to get to the head of the line. If this statement offends you or leaves you with the impression that I am insensitive to my fellow man, read the book. It is very enlightening and a reminder that regardless of how advanced our technology becomes, there are really monsters out there. Monsters that you can't even see ...
Not trying to make a statement one way of the other on the pro's & con's of vaccination but, for those who do not want to vaccinate their children this is a must read. It seems we have either forgotten or I my case are ignorant of the cause and effect of the disease. This book was very eye opening ... well, that's an understatement.
I never knew the full facts of what happened to the human body during a case of smallpox and at first I thought there was absolutely no way these descriptions could be true. As I read on it became apparent to me that they were not only true but, horrific. Grotesquely swollen bodies covered with pox that oozed puss with the smell of rancid meat. Mouths and throats filled with so many pox that some died from thirst?
If ever I am told that I need a "booster shot" for the prevention of smallpox, please get out of my way or try to keep up because I would only feel guilty, for a second, for knocking you out of the way trying to get to the head of the line. If this statement offends you or leaves you with the impression that I am insensitive to my fellow man, read the book. It is very enlightening and a reminder that regardless of how advanced our technology becomes, there are really monsters out there. Monsters that you can't even see ...
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