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The Pox and the Covenant: Mather, Franklin, and the Epidemic That Changed America's Destiny
For one hundred years, God had held to his promise, and the colonists had as well. When the first Puritans sailed into Massachusetts in the seventeenth century, weak from the ocean journey, they formed a covenant with each other and with God to establish a city on a hill-a commitment to live uncorrupted lives together or all suffer divine wrath for their collective sin. But now, a century later, the arrival of one doomed ship would put this covenant to its greatest test. On April 22, 1721, the HMS Seahorse arrived in Boston from the West Indies, carrying goods, cargo, and, unbeknownst to its crew, a deadly virus. Soon, a smallpox epidemic had broken out in Boston, causing hundreds of deaths and panic across the city. The clergy, including the famed Cotton Mather, turned to their standard form of defense against disease: fasting and prayer. But a new theory was also being offered to the public by the scientific world: inoculation. The fierce debate over the right way to combat the tragedy would become a battle between faith and reason, one that would set the city aflame with rage and riot.
The Pox and the Covenant is a story of well known figures such as Cotton Mather, James Franklin, and a young Benjamin Franklin struggling to fight for their cause among death and debate-although not always for the side one would expect. In the end, the incredible results of the epidemic and battle would reshape the colonists' view of their destiny, setting for America a new course, a new covenant, and the first drumbeats of revolution.
Praise for Pox and the Covenant:
"A welcome shade of gray into the traditional depiction of Puritans as repressive and closed-minded" - Boston Globe
"A fascinating aside to American medical history." - Publisher's Weekly
"With present-day controversy over vaccination, everything old is new again. And Williams' history is timely as well as engaging." - Booklist
The Pox and the Covenant is a story of well known figures such as Cotton Mather, James Franklin, and a young Benjamin Franklin struggling to fight for their cause among death and debate-although not always for the side one would expect. In the end, the incredible results of the epidemic and battle would reshape the colonists' view of their destiny, setting for America a new course, a new covenant, and the first drumbeats of revolution.
Praise for Pox and the Covenant:
"A welcome shade of gray into the traditional depiction of Puritans as repressive and closed-minded" - Boston Globe
"A fascinating aside to American medical history." - Publisher's Weekly
"With present-day controversy over vaccination, everything old is new again. And Williams' history is timely as well as engaging." - Booklist
277 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
3 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
About the author
Tony Williams
6 books4 followersTony Williams is the author of six books including the brief and engaging "Hamilton: An American Biography" (Rowman Littlefield) and "Washington & Hamilton: The Alliance that Created America," (Sourcebooks,2015), co-authored with Stephen F. Knott.
He has also written "America's Beginnings: The Dramatic Events that Shaped a Nation's Character,"(2011), "The Jamestown Experiment:The Remarkable Story of the Enterprising Colony and the Unexpected Results that Shaped America"(2011),"Pox and the Covenant: Franklin, Mather, and the Epidemic that Changed America's Destiny"(2010), and, "Hurricane of Independence: The Untold Story of the Deadly Storm at the Deciding Moment of the American Revolution"(2008)
He is a Senior Teaching Fellow at the Bill of Rights Institute and holds history degrees from Syracuse University and Ohio State University He taught history for fifteen years and was a fellow at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He lives with his family in Williamsburg, VA. He blogs regularly at www.wjmi.org and www.constitutingamerica.org
He has lectured across the country including Colonial Williamsburg, the Virginia Festival of the Book, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Department of Education, National Park Service Revolutionary War Battlesites, NASA, several universities and countless civics and history groups. He appeared as a commentator on Bill O'Reilly's "Legends & Lies: The Patriots" and has appeared several times on C-SPAN's Book TV.
He can be reached for speaking engagements by contacting him at Twitter @TWilliamsAuthor
He has also written "America's Beginnings: The Dramatic Events that Shaped a Nation's Character,"(2011), "The Jamestown Experiment:The Remarkable Story of the Enterprising Colony and the Unexpected Results that Shaped America"(2011),"Pox and the Covenant: Franklin, Mather, and the Epidemic that Changed America's Destiny"(2010), and, "Hurricane of Independence: The Untold Story of the Deadly Storm at the Deciding Moment of the American Revolution"(2008)
He is a Senior Teaching Fellow at the Bill of Rights Institute and holds history degrees from Syracuse University and Ohio State University He taught history for fifteen years and was a fellow at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He lives with his family in Williamsburg, VA. He blogs regularly at www.wjmi.org and www.constitutingamerica.org
He has lectured across the country including Colonial Williamsburg, the Virginia Festival of the Book, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Department of Education, National Park Service Revolutionary War Battlesites, NASA, several universities and countless civics and history groups. He appeared as a commentator on Bill O'Reilly's "Legends & Lies: The Patriots" and has appeared several times on C-SPAN's Book TV.
He can be reached for speaking engagements by contacting him at Twitter @TWilliamsAuthor
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April 9, 2022
The Pox and the Covenant: Mather, Franklin, and the Epidemic That Changed America’s Destiny is by Tony Williams.
Tony is a Facebook friend who has, over the past several years, become a real friend in many senses. I always enjoy his updates on his readings, the adventures of his family, the basketball exploits of his son Paul, and his helpful advice on books to acquire. If he and I ever join forces in a good used bookstore, we will certainly do some damage to the inventory.
It is a shame that this book is not currently in print. It is a book for the times we are living in. It is a useful light on many of the issues we have been facing as a nation with an epidemic. If I had read this book years ago, I would have thought it good, but having read it in the light of the past two years’ experiences, I found it even better than expected.
History doesn’t, in spite of the popular saying, repeat itself. This book doesn’t reveal, like some Nostradamus-like prophecy, what we are going through. “History teaches us that…” is a usually vapid phrase. Usually, it is said to mean, “What I believe about things can be backed up by this historical anecdote.”
What history does is provide perspectives. Ours was not the first, nor the last, epidemic. The plethora of blame, false narratives, myths, and confusion of our epidemic are not unlike similar reactions in the past. Nor are controversies over the vaccines or inoculations.
The smallpox epidemic that hit Boston created a flurry of controversies between men of religion and men of science. You have all known this: Men of religion looked to faith and the Bible, while men of science looked to science and Enlightenment thought. The matter is settled. We religious folk need to humbly confess that we are a bit on the narrow-minded side.
But wait! The story of this epidemic found that the premier religious leader, Cotton Mather, was no novice when it came to science (or theology). He was the key theologian who promoted the use of the controversial inoculations. Mather is given short shrift in all too many historical accounts. Even those who will tip the hat to Jonathan Edwards will still social distance themselves from both Cotton and Increase (his father) Mather.
Mather was a towering intellect. I confess to my shame to having read far too little of the massive Magnalia Christi Americana. I will take a cheap shot and blame my college history professors for not grounding us in the older historians.
Along with Mather, there was one doctor, Zabdiel Boylston, who advocated for and practiced giving inoculations. A more educated and prominent doctor, one William Douglas, who railed against inoculations.
The fur did fly in these fights. And these were not mere academic differences. Everyone in Boston was under threat. If you were immune (from an earlier bout with smallpox), you still witnessed family, friends, and neighbors suffering. And business suffered. Just as we experienced supply chain issues, Boston had such. Firewood, a vital necessity, became scarce. Woodcutters were not interested in getting near town or getting the infection. Nor were ship captains anxious to land their loads of cargo at the port of Boston.
Mather, himself, witnessed deaths in his family and congregation. Not all were from smallpox, since diseases come in all shapes and sizes. He had to glean messages from Scripture that gave comfort to grieving parents, spouses, and friends. He had to preach when his own heart was broken from deaths of a daughter and grandchild.
Two other key characters in this narrative are the Franklin brothers. James Franklin, the older and less known of the two, used his newspaper to attack Mather, Boylston, and the concept of inoculation. Young Benjamin began writing a series of jibes under a pseudonym that poked at the clergy and others.
Time and more open views of science enabled Boston to recover from the epidemic. Mather lived out his rich life, weary however from his toils. Doctors and those who “followed the science” came to see how inoculations saved lives. The younger Franklin brother moved to Philadelphia and continued on his road to success as a man of both science and politics.
This is a rousingly good story, and it is history. And let me add, this book gives an honest, favorable, and affirmative view of Puritans and the society they established. All too often, I have read fine historians who seem utterly blind and ignorant when they venture into explaining theology or people of faith. Certainly, I would tweak a few sentences here and there, but overall, Tony Williams explains the Puritans and Cotton Mather in what I judge to be accurate terms.
Tony is a Facebook friend who has, over the past several years, become a real friend in many senses. I always enjoy his updates on his readings, the adventures of his family, the basketball exploits of his son Paul, and his helpful advice on books to acquire. If he and I ever join forces in a good used bookstore, we will certainly do some damage to the inventory.
It is a shame that this book is not currently in print. It is a book for the times we are living in. It is a useful light on many of the issues we have been facing as a nation with an epidemic. If I had read this book years ago, I would have thought it good, but having read it in the light of the past two years’ experiences, I found it even better than expected.
History doesn’t, in spite of the popular saying, repeat itself. This book doesn’t reveal, like some Nostradamus-like prophecy, what we are going through. “History teaches us that…” is a usually vapid phrase. Usually, it is said to mean, “What I believe about things can be backed up by this historical anecdote.”
What history does is provide perspectives. Ours was not the first, nor the last, epidemic. The plethora of blame, false narratives, myths, and confusion of our epidemic are not unlike similar reactions in the past. Nor are controversies over the vaccines or inoculations.
The smallpox epidemic that hit Boston created a flurry of controversies between men of religion and men of science. You have all known this: Men of religion looked to faith and the Bible, while men of science looked to science and Enlightenment thought. The matter is settled. We religious folk need to humbly confess that we are a bit on the narrow-minded side.
But wait! The story of this epidemic found that the premier religious leader, Cotton Mather, was no novice when it came to science (or theology). He was the key theologian who promoted the use of the controversial inoculations. Mather is given short shrift in all too many historical accounts. Even those who will tip the hat to Jonathan Edwards will still social distance themselves from both Cotton and Increase (his father) Mather.
Mather was a towering intellect. I confess to my shame to having read far too little of the massive Magnalia Christi Americana. I will take a cheap shot and blame my college history professors for not grounding us in the older historians.
Along with Mather, there was one doctor, Zabdiel Boylston, who advocated for and practiced giving inoculations. A more educated and prominent doctor, one William Douglas, who railed against inoculations.
The fur did fly in these fights. And these were not mere academic differences. Everyone in Boston was under threat. If you were immune (from an earlier bout with smallpox), you still witnessed family, friends, and neighbors suffering. And business suffered. Just as we experienced supply chain issues, Boston had such. Firewood, a vital necessity, became scarce. Woodcutters were not interested in getting near town or getting the infection. Nor were ship captains anxious to land their loads of cargo at the port of Boston.
Mather, himself, witnessed deaths in his family and congregation. Not all were from smallpox, since diseases come in all shapes and sizes. He had to glean messages from Scripture that gave comfort to grieving parents, spouses, and friends. He had to preach when his own heart was broken from deaths of a daughter and grandchild.
Two other key characters in this narrative are the Franklin brothers. James Franklin, the older and less known of the two, used his newspaper to attack Mather, Boylston, and the concept of inoculation. Young Benjamin began writing a series of jibes under a pseudonym that poked at the clergy and others.
Time and more open views of science enabled Boston to recover from the epidemic. Mather lived out his rich life, weary however from his toils. Doctors and those who “followed the science” came to see how inoculations saved lives. The younger Franklin brother moved to Philadelphia and continued on his road to success as a man of both science and politics.
This is a rousingly good story, and it is history. And let me add, this book gives an honest, favorable, and affirmative view of Puritans and the society they established. All too often, I have read fine historians who seem utterly blind and ignorant when they venture into explaining theology or people of faith. Certainly, I would tweak a few sentences here and there, but overall, Tony Williams explains the Puritans and Cotton Mather in what I judge to be accurate terms.
November 16, 2019
Tony Williams’ work The Pox and Covenant is a prime example of how a singular event, in this case, the Boston smallpox epidemic of 1721, can be used to extrapolate evidence for many converging events, their effects, and their significance thereafter. William’s goal is to show that although the modern perception of Puritans is often repressive and backwards, there are those who proved to be assets to the scientific world. Williams’ thesis is, “It is my contention that in the dramatic story that follows, Puritans participated in the cosmopolitan world of science and were leading scientific figures in the American colonies.” Analysis of William’s specific phrasing, in combination with his use of evidence, shows that although Williams’ goal is easily deduced, his methods and writing choices hinder his ability to fulfill his goal and satisfy the academic reader. William’s consistent catering to the lay reader, in combination with writing choices, leaves the reader in want and thus damages his effectiveness as a contributor to knowledge regarding religious response to the smallpox epidemic of 1721.
Immediately it becomes apparent to the seasoned reader that the book lacks in its organizational skills. Not only is the thesis placed outside the main body of text, within four pages of the “introduction,” the introduction and preface are so short that throughout the rest of the body, Williams is forced to contextualize, leaving the reader disjointed and distracted from the main objective of the text and thesis. Furthermore, there is issue with the specific phrasing and vocabulary of the thesis. By failing to include the word “some” before the word “Puritans” the reader, especially Williams’ targeted reader is left to believe that the following text shows that all Puritans after service went to scientific discussion in the home laboratory of the minister. And yet, the text shows that some Puritans were outright opposed to scientific societal improvements without the right kind of biblical justification. The thesis is vaguely resuscitated with the introduction of Cotton Mather, but is once more overcome by the fact that Mather was not a model of the average Puritan. Mather was a scientific figure of society, and a member of a scientific society, but Williams fails to explain sufficiently how Mather was a leader in that circle, the range of that influence, or the public’s reception of Mather’s scientific inquiry. In this way, Williams, by virtue of his phrasing, defeats his thesis.
Among the more notable attributes of the book is the catering to the lay reader by Williams, at the price of disregard for the academic. Beginning with the subtitle, and further supported by the thesis, Williams has a flare for overhyping the significance of narrative and disappointing the reader. This is shown by his writing the 1721 Boston Smallpox epidemic “…Changed America’s destiny.” and that the following narrative was “dramatic.” The American Revolution would not occur for another half century, making that particular epidemic vague in memory of those who would go through both events and notable only in the introduction of a highly controversial procedure. Furthermore, dramatization of significant details for the sake of notability hurts his credibility. For example, the Franklin brothers play only a very small part within the narrative, in comparison to Dr. William Douglass. Yet, it is a Franklin that is noted in the subtitle. This gives the impression that the author, or perhaps the editor, wanted to increase the book’s ability to sell, rather than contribute to the body of knowledge and the significance of the 1721 Boston smallpox epidemic. By using writing methods such as melodramatic emphasis, lengthy anecdotes and foreshadowing, Williams further cripples his credibility with academic readers. By choosing literary devices over simpler, albeit dryer syntax, the reader is frequently given opportunity to ask where the evidence is, how it was obtained and why it should be trusted. William’s method of citation does little to assuage the reader’s doubt because it relies on remembering key phrases, which can be easily forgotten in the frustration of trying to check the inaccessible endnotes. Williams does not allow the reader to see his methods of research within his writing and citation, and his goals remain unfulfilled.
Of the fair amount of shortcomings in Williams’ work, many could be blamed on editing – specifically editing that redirected the text to be more appealing to a wider audience, at the expense of dilution of the academic message. There are sentences within the text that indicate stronger academic questions that aren’t properly investigated. Williams writes, “This [secular] democratic revolution of social forces was rooted upon the principle of equality and self – governance. Americans would no longer step out of the way of their “betters” or defer to someone because of his or her station in society.” These two sentences present exploration of the pox acting as a catalyst for political movements and changes. There is support for this idea littered throughout the monograph illustrated by minimal exploration of the decisions of selectmen and the general public. It would also better justify the inclusion of the Franklin Brothers within the subtitle, had the concept been better explored. However, because of the author’s choice to concentrate on other aspects of the smallpox epidemic, political effects of the pox languish in its position of summarization.
Summary is one of William’s strong suits. The titles of each chapter introduces the theme with an appropriate amount of foreshadowing. In chapter twelve, “Death’s Head”, Williams illustrates one of his arguments – that the pox was a significant disturbance to the lives of Puritans. The death toll was so high, it was necessary for Boston selectmen to modify and regulate funeral rites and ceremonies, from how long a bell could be wrung for the dead, to if a funerary scarf could be worn. This chapter does however also epitomize shortcomings in William’s writing style. The chapter goes quickly from the narrative of Samuel Sewall (whose significance to the narrative is never fully explained), is tied to the funeral practices in an incomplete manner, briskly finishes the previous chapter’s cliffhanger, and explains Mather’s response to such death and destruction. While the chapter shows the social impact of the pox, the execution is clunky in such a short series of pages.
While the contextualization of all actors at this point in history does in fact well serve a lay man audience, to the academic, such tangents dilute the message and rhythm of the monograph. Should the writer desire, it would be quite easy to compress the work between 50 -70% and have a masterful work on the impact of smallpox on the fetal stages of America. Such brevity would increase its poignancy. As it stands, while Williams does have a strong conceptualized goal, his follow through leaves the reader a sense of unfulfilled promises. By catering to the lay reader, The Pox and the Covenant has much the same effect of colored cellophane over baked goods - it can still be seen but is distorted and much less appetizing in appearance.
Immediately it becomes apparent to the seasoned reader that the book lacks in its organizational skills. Not only is the thesis placed outside the main body of text, within four pages of the “introduction,” the introduction and preface are so short that throughout the rest of the body, Williams is forced to contextualize, leaving the reader disjointed and distracted from the main objective of the text and thesis. Furthermore, there is issue with the specific phrasing and vocabulary of the thesis. By failing to include the word “some” before the word “Puritans” the reader, especially Williams’ targeted reader is left to believe that the following text shows that all Puritans after service went to scientific discussion in the home laboratory of the minister. And yet, the text shows that some Puritans were outright opposed to scientific societal improvements without the right kind of biblical justification. The thesis is vaguely resuscitated with the introduction of Cotton Mather, but is once more overcome by the fact that Mather was not a model of the average Puritan. Mather was a scientific figure of society, and a member of a scientific society, but Williams fails to explain sufficiently how Mather was a leader in that circle, the range of that influence, or the public’s reception of Mather’s scientific inquiry. In this way, Williams, by virtue of his phrasing, defeats his thesis.
Among the more notable attributes of the book is the catering to the lay reader by Williams, at the price of disregard for the academic. Beginning with the subtitle, and further supported by the thesis, Williams has a flare for overhyping the significance of narrative and disappointing the reader. This is shown by his writing the 1721 Boston Smallpox epidemic “…Changed America’s destiny.” and that the following narrative was “dramatic.” The American Revolution would not occur for another half century, making that particular epidemic vague in memory of those who would go through both events and notable only in the introduction of a highly controversial procedure. Furthermore, dramatization of significant details for the sake of notability hurts his credibility. For example, the Franklin brothers play only a very small part within the narrative, in comparison to Dr. William Douglass. Yet, it is a Franklin that is noted in the subtitle. This gives the impression that the author, or perhaps the editor, wanted to increase the book’s ability to sell, rather than contribute to the body of knowledge and the significance of the 1721 Boston smallpox epidemic. By using writing methods such as melodramatic emphasis, lengthy anecdotes and foreshadowing, Williams further cripples his credibility with academic readers. By choosing literary devices over simpler, albeit dryer syntax, the reader is frequently given opportunity to ask where the evidence is, how it was obtained and why it should be trusted. William’s method of citation does little to assuage the reader’s doubt because it relies on remembering key phrases, which can be easily forgotten in the frustration of trying to check the inaccessible endnotes. Williams does not allow the reader to see his methods of research within his writing and citation, and his goals remain unfulfilled.
Of the fair amount of shortcomings in Williams’ work, many could be blamed on editing – specifically editing that redirected the text to be more appealing to a wider audience, at the expense of dilution of the academic message. There are sentences within the text that indicate stronger academic questions that aren’t properly investigated. Williams writes, “This [secular] democratic revolution of social forces was rooted upon the principle of equality and self – governance. Americans would no longer step out of the way of their “betters” or defer to someone because of his or her station in society.” These two sentences present exploration of the pox acting as a catalyst for political movements and changes. There is support for this idea littered throughout the monograph illustrated by minimal exploration of the decisions of selectmen and the general public. It would also better justify the inclusion of the Franklin Brothers within the subtitle, had the concept been better explored. However, because of the author’s choice to concentrate on other aspects of the smallpox epidemic, political effects of the pox languish in its position of summarization.
Summary is one of William’s strong suits. The titles of each chapter introduces the theme with an appropriate amount of foreshadowing. In chapter twelve, “Death’s Head”, Williams illustrates one of his arguments – that the pox was a significant disturbance to the lives of Puritans. The death toll was so high, it was necessary for Boston selectmen to modify and regulate funeral rites and ceremonies, from how long a bell could be wrung for the dead, to if a funerary scarf could be worn. This chapter does however also epitomize shortcomings in William’s writing style. The chapter goes quickly from the narrative of Samuel Sewall (whose significance to the narrative is never fully explained), is tied to the funeral practices in an incomplete manner, briskly finishes the previous chapter’s cliffhanger, and explains Mather’s response to such death and destruction. While the chapter shows the social impact of the pox, the execution is clunky in such a short series of pages.
While the contextualization of all actors at this point in history does in fact well serve a lay man audience, to the academic, such tangents dilute the message and rhythm of the monograph. Should the writer desire, it would be quite easy to compress the work between 50 -70% and have a masterful work on the impact of smallpox on the fetal stages of America. Such brevity would increase its poignancy. As it stands, while Williams does have a strong conceptualized goal, his follow through leaves the reader a sense of unfulfilled promises. By catering to the lay reader, The Pox and the Covenant has much the same effect of colored cellophane over baked goods - it can still be seen but is distorted and much less appetizing in appearance.
April 1, 2014
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Today people are fighting over whether or not vaccinations are a good idea. The media gets caught up in the fray, furthering the flames of one side against the other. The exact same thing happened in Boston, Mass. in 1721. At the beginning of a horrible smallpox epidemic, Cotton Mather and Dr Boyleston were on the side For inonculations. The doctors of the town were Against. Each side slandered and attacked the other side, with James Franklin weighing in with his newspaper.
I found this book to be very informative. I had only heard of Cotton Mather in regards to the Salem Witch Trials. This book presented a whole new side of him. I also learned about the history of inoculation. Part of the reason doctors of the time were against it was because it was used by tribes in Africa and Muslims. I also learned a little about the early life of Benjamin Franklin. He and his brother James had an interesting dynamic between them.
The fight over the use of inoculations in 1721 had a lasting effect on everyone involved.
I found this book to be easy to read and enjoyable. I enjoyed learning about the Puritan culture and early Boston. It was also an interesting history lesson on inoculations, which went back much further than I imagined. I definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in early Colonial life, American history, Puritan life, or an interest in medical history.
I found this book to be very informative. I had only heard of Cotton Mather in regards to the Salem Witch Trials. This book presented a whole new side of him. I also learned about the history of inoculation. Part of the reason doctors of the time were against it was because it was used by tribes in Africa and Muslims. I also learned a little about the early life of Benjamin Franklin. He and his brother James had an interesting dynamic between them.
The fight over the use of inoculations in 1721 had a lasting effect on everyone involved.
I found this book to be easy to read and enjoyable. I enjoyed learning about the Puritan culture and early Boston. It was also an interesting history lesson on inoculations, which went back much further than I imagined. I definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in early Colonial life, American history, Puritan life, or an interest in medical history.
December 31, 2012
If you are interested in young Ben Franklin or the Colonial period in New England, this will be an interesting read. Readers who have enjoyed "Mayflower" by Nathaniel Philbrick or "Caleb's Crossing" by Geraldine Brooks will discover the evolution of Puritan culture and faith in the 1720s.
February 25, 2018
Examination of the smallpox vaccination controversy in colonial Boston, oddly echos current affairs. Cotton Mather, Zabdiel Boylston bravely and successfully inoculate family, friends despite censure from town officials. Benjamin Franklin stars as a scurrilous muckraking printer who whips up opposition to their innovative approach to smallpox. They first get the idea from African slaves who were immune due to pioneering inoculations on African continent years earlier. Franklin sneers at the idea that doctors could learn from Muslims...
September 22, 2019
Interesting read. Surprised to find a Puritan preacher, Cotton Mather, was the lead voice on supporting (and carrying out) inoculations of smallpox in the 1700s. Further surprising to read the Franklin Brothers, including Benjamin, initially opposed inoculations, including the majority of the doctors in Boston.
December 6, 2020
I was expecting a medical history and found this to be more of a Puritan religious tract. Not to mention sloppy publishing and editing. Rife with problems of continuity. Not much to say for it other than the interesting parallels to the current pandemic.
June 11, 2017
A review of how medical and scientific progress actually occurs reveals that it hardly follows the course that we imagine.
August 9, 2011
The debate over inoculation as a cure for smallpox raged in Boston in 1721-2 with vicious personal attacks on each side's proponents in the early colonial newspapers. On one side were James and in a small way a young Ben Franklin and the other Cotton Mather. Of course, the heroes of the Enlightenment the Franklins supported the innovation and that fundamentalist hidebound Puritan Cotton Mather rejected it. Wait, was Cotton Mather on the right side of history in this one? It was Cotton who discovered that Africans living in Boston seemed to be immune to small pox due to inoculations in their home country and that the Turks had been using them to not die from the "common way" of getting small pox and if you don't die, immunity.
When a smallpox epidemic began in Boston in 1721, Cotton supported Dr. Boylston's inoculations of over 100 people, with all but two surviving the epidemic. In contrast, a quarter of the people who fell ill in "the common way" died. However the detractors, like the Franklins refused to look at the evidence and mounted the attacks on Mather and other supporters of inoculations.
On the book jacket it said that this was the "Epidemic that Changed America's Destiny." It is true that within a decade or so the majority of those who opposed inoculations came around to believe in them, but that is not the change in destiny the author was talking about. It fact that when Boylston and Mather inoculated people they violated the Board of Selectmen's banning of the procedure. The author sees this as a further eroding of the covenant between the Puritan ministers and the people. Already the ministers were coming under attack and losing their moral authority and this defiance and insistence on proceeding against the law and the general consensus of the community was their undoing.
I have probably told you too much, however these reviews are mostly a way for me to remember the books and stories I've read. Tony Williams chose an interesting subject that I knew little about and I very much enjoyed reading it. I hope to read his other history, Hurricane of Independence.
laws
In the
When a smallpox epidemic began in Boston in 1721, Cotton supported Dr. Boylston's inoculations of over 100 people, with all but two surviving the epidemic. In contrast, a quarter of the people who fell ill in "the common way" died. However the detractors, like the Franklins refused to look at the evidence and mounted the attacks on Mather and other supporters of inoculations.
On the book jacket it said that this was the "Epidemic that Changed America's Destiny." It is true that within a decade or so the majority of those who opposed inoculations came around to believe in them, but that is not the change in destiny the author was talking about. It fact that when Boylston and Mather inoculated people they violated the Board of Selectmen's banning of the procedure. The author sees this as a further eroding of the covenant between the Puritan ministers and the people. Already the ministers were coming under attack and losing their moral authority and this defiance and insistence on proceeding against the law and the general consensus of the community was their undoing.
I have probably told you too much, however these reviews are mostly a way for me to remember the books and stories I've read. Tony Williams chose an interesting subject that I knew little about and I very much enjoyed reading it. I hope to read his other history, Hurricane of Independence.
laws
In the
January 21, 2015
Tony Williams wants so much to do more with this book than he actually does. He wants to present a snap shot of the city of Boston at the cusp of the 18th century, when Puritan domination of the government was starting to weaken and the city was becoming more cosmopolitan. In this he succeeds. He wants to present the history of an outbreak of smallpox in the city in 1621-22 and the devastation it brought to its population. In this he is mostly successful. He wants to present one individual - Cotton Mather - as the hero of both the religious establishment and the founding father of the Enlightenment in America. He makes his case. He wants to show that religion and science do not have to be at odds with each other and that it is only the hard-headedness of individuals on both sides of the fence that produce conflict. In this, he is less than convincing. And he, as the subtitle of the book explains, wants to show how this one epidemic "changed America's destiny." Other than putting the phrase in the title, there is little evidence of it. The problem with the book, other than its often hyperbolic prose, is that while Williams is looking at all this, he is not giving any depth to any of it. He is chronicling events but not giving motivations or reasons. He says as much in discussing James and Benjamin Franklins' attacks on Mather which seemed baseless. This is an interesting read for a quick look at one place at one time, it does not really bridge the gap to imparting larger meaning or showing greater significance.
October 13, 2014
The debate about vaccinations is no less relevant today than it was in 1721. A smallpox epidemic was raging in Boston, Massachusetts, and the public dispute over the practice of inoculation was raging no less virulently. However, the Age of Enlightenment came in fits and starts; and the people involved in the argument were not lined up in the way you might expect....
Led by Cotton Mather, it was the Puritan ministers who argued for pursuing the scientific method, and for saving people's lives through inoculation. In the other camp, it was the local medical establishment who refused to examine the experimental data, and who argued that it would be impious to preempt God's will to punish his sinful children with sickness and death. And it was a very young, callow Benjamin Franklin who failed to view the matter from a scientific point of view, and merely took the opportunity to poke fun at the Puritan ministers for extraneous issues.
This book tells a fascinating story. I would have appreciated it much more, if the author had not sometimes dumbed it down, with excessive repetitions, and unnecessary dramatizations. Chapter One, in particular, led me to wonder whether the book was being pitched at sixth-grade readers. On the whole, though, the subject matter was well researched, and presented with fairness and insight.
Led by Cotton Mather, it was the Puritan ministers who argued for pursuing the scientific method, and for saving people's lives through inoculation. In the other camp, it was the local medical establishment who refused to examine the experimental data, and who argued that it would be impious to preempt God's will to punish his sinful children with sickness and death. And it was a very young, callow Benjamin Franklin who failed to view the matter from a scientific point of view, and merely took the opportunity to poke fun at the Puritan ministers for extraneous issues.
This book tells a fascinating story. I would have appreciated it much more, if the author had not sometimes dumbed it down, with excessive repetitions, and unnecessary dramatizations. Chapter One, in particular, led me to wonder whether the book was being pitched at sixth-grade readers. On the whole, though, the subject matter was well researched, and presented with fairness and insight.
November 21, 2015
The Pox and the Covenant looks at the small pox outbreak in Puritan Boston in 1721 and follows the outbreak from the ship that brought it in to the aftermath of its effects on the population. It looks at how the Covenant (Puritan leadership) was challenged by the outbreak and the advent of inoculation which some members like Cotton Mather supported and many members did not. The rise of journalism in the Boston area with James Franklin (Ben Franklin’s older brother) criticizing much of the covenant’s actions. This was also the time that Ben Franklin would pen his famous Silence Dogood letters. The debate of how the Puritan Church should view science echoes much of the debate that goes on today and this provides a great micro case study for the debate. Overall it is a fast paced book with lost of good information and a fun read of how the Covenant reacted to a tragedy. Lots of scripture quotes from the time to show how the Puritans viewed what was happening and what role religion played in allaying the fears of the population and in some cases causing the outbreak to last longer.
August 22, 2011
Interesting and lively account of smallpox epidemic in Puritan Boston and debate among Mather, Franklin and various others on vaccination and the role of the church. Williams has no trouble bringing this period to life but his depiction of Cotton Mather as a man of science and reason taking on the superstitious peasantry is simply bizarre in light of Mather's role as unrepentant chief supporter and instigator of the Salem Witch Trials of the late 1600's -- which Williams completely and utterly glosses over. Sort of like discussing Dr. Mengele's brilliant medical career. An unforgivable lapse.
September 13, 2015
Although I am familiar with the toll smallpox took over the centuries, first-hand accounts of both the suffering and the actions of Cotton Mather's family and neighbors was really interesting to me. The flow of this text wasn't completely smooth, such as someone dying in one chapter and then being alive again in the next. That sort of thing throws me. But the details of the public controversy around inoculation were really fascinating. And the parallels to our current state of science policy dramas was remarkable. Enjoyed the time travel, and wondering if it can help inform the present.
February 26, 2012
I enjoyed the beginning and the end of this book very much. The details of the inoculations, and using them to fight smallpox and the results of that. However I could only give it two stars, because the middle of the book was boring and covered some other historical things. I really enjoyed the parts about Cotton Mather and the doctors fighting over whether inoculations helped. I had no idea inoculations were introduced so early in history.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2016
The main premise of the book, an exploration of the religious and scientific divisions in Boston regarding inoculation in 1721, is its strong point. Sometimes, however, it gets distracted and runs elsewhere in haphazard fashion, and especially in these places it runs into a pet peeve of mine, mimicking historical fiction within nonfiction, that is, imagining and hazarding details to bring the story to life but in the process being boring and wasting time and paper space.
June 20, 2013
A bit too detailed at times, but mostly an interesting book about Cotton Mather, Benjamin Franklin and others and the smallpox epidemic of 1721. Cotton Mather had recently learned about inoculation and there was a lot of argument about whether it should be done. It seems like a no-brainer to me, since it was such a horrible illness, but that wasn't the case then. I enjoyed it.
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July 17, 2010due @ BCPL 2010.0712
Interesting story about an outbreak of smallpox in Boston in 1721. Ironically, Cotton Mather argued for innoculation as a way of limiting and defeating the epidemic while Benjamin Franklin argued against him.
Interesting story about an outbreak of smallpox in Boston in 1721. Ironically, Cotton Mather argued for innoculation as a way of limiting and defeating the epidemic while Benjamin Franklin argued against him.
October 11, 2012
Written for the general reader, this history almost crosses the line into fiction at times. The story of the 1721 smallpox epidemic on Boston is interesting. The subtitle is misleading; James and Benjamin Franklin appear only briefly in the book.
April 28, 2010
An interesting history about the clash of religion and science both being amazingly hidebound.
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September 23, 2010I totally geeked out when I met the author for this book, gushing that it combined two of my favorite subjects: early American history and epidemiology! Now, let's see it it lives up to my hype...
November 16, 2010
Starts out excellent and then bogs down in too much detail.
January 18, 2011
Why did I read this? I picked it up from the library thinking it could be interesting... well, it was not!
December 29, 2014
An excellent historical study of the relationship of science and faith in early America
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