Variola rex smallpox Essay -- Biology Medical Biomedical Smallpox

Variola rex (Smallpox) Smallpox is a virus that was first founded in ancient times. The virus?s proper name is Variola rex, and it has various different forms as well as various symptoms. Among these forms are typical smallpox, hemorrhagic smallpox, and malignant smallpox, all of which usually always cause death in their victims. Some of the typical symptoms of smallpox include red vesicles and pustules all over, bleeding from all orifices of the body, swelling in the face, throat, and eyes, difficulty eating and swallowing, delirium, malaise, deterioration of the bone marrow, lymph nodes and mucus membranes of the body, and a multitude of other secondary symptoms. Smallpox is typically diagnosed by ruling out the possibility of other viruses, which manifest themselves initially in a similar way, such as measles, and chicken pox. There is no known cure for smallpox once it has been contracted, and a majority of its victims die from it. Variola rex is considered to be one of the most contagious infectious diseases know to man. The virus is not bound to one particular race, culture, country, sex or age but can found at almost any location. Over the centuries Variola rex has been associated with a multitude of titles including, La Petite Verole, Blattern, Lesser Pox, and Plague. However, the virus that once possessed these various aliases is now most commonly known as Smallpox. Smallpox is typically diagnosed through the characteristic progression or particular physical as well as internal symptoms. The virus is divided into three groups depending upon initial symptoms, and progression of the infection. These groups include the most common and typical smallpox, which is divided into two, more rare forms of the disease includi... ...er reaches it victims. However to this day there is no known cure for smallpox and once contracted the chances of survival are slim. Works Cited Aufderheide, AC.The Cambridge encyclopedia of human paleopathology Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1998. p. 201-07 Gehlbach, Stephen H. American Plagues: Lessons from our Battles with Disease. New York: Mc Graw Hill Companies, 2005. 26-27. Hopkins, DR. The greatest killer: smallpox in history. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 2002. p. 13- 317 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. "Smallpox." CNN. 12 Aug. 2005. 30 July 2006 http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00424.html McNeill, WH. Plagues and peoples: a natural history of infectious diseases. New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday ; 1976 Oldstone, MBA. Measles. Viruses, plagues, and history Oxford: Oxford university Press; 1989. p. 73-89