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lunaria22 Jul 2, 2023

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco

Onesimus, a Boston enslaved man, saved hundreds of people from the horrors of smallpox in 1721. His contributions to science reverberate to this day b/c his knowledge led to what became the 1st vaccine-related study in America. Onesimus’s story illustrates the degree to which reputable men of science depended on the testimony & experience of Africans in dealing with a dreaded disease.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

Onesimus’ origins remain unknown, but he was likely taken forcefully from his homeland in West Africa, forced into slavery, and transported to the Massachusetts Bay colony aboard a ship. During that time, MA was a hub of the early slave trade & the first American colony to legally establish the ownership of human beings in 1641. By the year 1700, approximately 1,000 enslaved individuals resided in Massachusetts.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

The name Onesimus was not the original name given to him at birth. Similar to many others who experienced the horrors of slavery, historical texts only document the name he was given by his enslaver. The name Onesimus, meaning "useful," serves as a reminder of the property status imposed upon him by his enslaver.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

In 1706, a church congregation in Boston acquired Onesimus & "gifted" him to the well-known Puritan minister, Cotton Mather. You may recall the name Cotton Mather from your high school history lessons, in relation to the Salem witch trials. Cotton Mather, the son of Increase Mather, the founder of Harvard College, held significant influence as a minister & intellectual during that era.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

Cotton Mather, despite his prominent role, was involved in enslavement. The primary source of our knowledge regarding Onesimus stems from Cotton Mather's diary, supplemented by a few references found in church & civic records. There is strong evidence that he was born in West Africa, as he had received smallpox inoculation during his childhood through a traditional West African method.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

In a letter dated 1716 and addressed to the Royal Society of London, Cotton Mather recounted a discussion he had with Onesimus regarding smallpox. During that era, it was common for white individuals to inquire whether enslaved people had experienced the disease, as it was believed that those who had survived were deemed more valuable.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

When Mather posed the question to Onesimus about his exposure to smallpox, Onesimus responded with a somewhat enigmatic answer, saying, "Yes and no." Onesimus proceeded to explain that during his childhood in Africa, he had undergone a procedure that provided him with a form of smallpox and granted him lifelong protection against the disease.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

Onesimus described the operation as involving the extraction of pus from an individual infected with smallpox, which was then scraped into his arm. This resulted in a mild case of the illness but bestowed upon him permanent immunity.

Onesimus shared that this practice was commonplace within the African community in which he was raised and had been carried out for centuries.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

The account Onesimus provided was known as variolation, an early method of inoculation employed to safeguard individuals against smallpox. Variolation, serving as a precursor to vaccination, had been practiced for many centuries in China, parts of Africa, and the Middle East. However, it remained relatively unfamiliar in England and the American colonies during the early 1700s.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

While variolation carried risks, it was significantly less lethal than contracting natural smallpox. Typically, it induced a mild form of smallpox, that granted lifelong immunity. In 1721, half of Boston's residents were infected with smallpox, about 11,000 people. Cotton Mather, armed with the knowledge scrim Onesimus, embarked on a mission to safeguard Boston during the subsequent smallpox epidemic

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

In 1721, Mather became an advocate for the practice of variolation, yet encountered strong opposition from other white individuals residing in Boston.

Despite being highly esteemed in Massachusetts, only a solitary physician heeded Mather's audacious proposal. Zabdiel Boylston, one of the two doctors in Boston, placed trust in Cotton Mather and Onesimus regarding variolation.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

Boylston proceeded to inoculate his own son and the enslaved individuals laboring within his household. The reaction from other doctors and councilmen in the area was one of shock and horror. Although some white Bostonians opposed variolation due to scientific uncertainty or religious reasons, a good portion of the criticism arose from a racist perspective that undermined the valuable knowledge by Africans..

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

Detractors, attacked Cotton Mather, degrading his ideas as "Negroish" thinking.
William Douglas, the only other doctor in Boston at the time, joined forces with James Franklin, older brother of Benjamin Franklin and local newspaperman, to initiate a racist disinformation campaign. They asserted that enslaved Africans were conspiring to harm their enslavers by deceiving them into infecting themselves with smallpox.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

Both Cotton Mather and Boylston, faced severe vilification for seeking medical guidance from an African individual. Douglas, in reference to Black people, made derogatory remarks stating, "There is not a Race of Men on Earth [filled with] more False Liars." As a result of the successful experimentation with variolation, the practice gained wider acceptance in the colonies grappling with smallpox epidemics.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

In fact, in 1777, during a new smallpox outbreak amid the Revolutionary War, General George Washington took decisive action. Recognizing the value of science and technology and having personally experienced smallpox in his youth, Washington ensured that his entire army underwent inoculation to protect against the disease.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

The opposition towards Mather's advocacy of inoculation even escalated to the extent of someone hurling an unexploded grenade through his window. This incident was an early precursor to anti-vaccination protests, as Bostonians took to the streets to express their opposition to Boylston's employment of smallpox inoculations for his son and two enslaved individuals.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

When the epidemic ended in 1722, Mather & Boylston conducted one of the earliest documented quantitative analyses in medicine. Remarkably, Boylston managed to inoculate 280 individuals out of the city's population of 11,000. Among the inoculated group, only 6 people succumbed, a mere 2% mortality rate. In contrast, among the non-inoculated, there were 6,000 cases, a loss of 850 lives, 14 % mortality rate.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

Following his purchase of freedom, Onesimus gradually disappeared from public records after 1716. The specifics of his journey and how he lived the remainder of his life remain largely undisclosed. Nevertheless, the impact of his contribution to the understanding of smallpox and its prevention continues to resonate in modern times.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

Onesimus made significant contributions to the field of science. Despite enduring captivity and bondage, he played a crucial role in raising awareness about the effectiveness of variolation in the United States. His contributions directly contributed to one of the earliest scientific studies in medicine conducted in the country and, ultimately, paved the way for the development of the smallpox vaccine.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

The results unequivocally demonstrated that individuals who underwent inoculation were seven times more likely to survive smallpox. Because of this compelling evidence, inoculations became a widespread practice in Boston and across numerous states in the United States. However, their prevalence gradually diminished with the advent of a significant breakthrough in 1796.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 2, 2023

In 1796, Edward Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine utilizing the cowpox virus. As the mid-1800s approached, variolation was phased out and replaced by immunization through cowpox, as it proved to be a safer and more effective..
For decades, the prevailing narrative exalted Mather and Boylston as heroes while relegating Onesimus and his African homeland to the background.

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Deb has moved! (see profile) 🇨🇦Jul 3, 2023

@Deglassco this is a great thread, thanks! #history #VaccinesWork

/cc: RFK

Steve Scaffidi Jul 3, 2023

@Deglassco The thread seems to be broken at this point. 13/22. Can you please reply with a link to the rest of the thread? (Perhaps it is an issue with my home Masto instance, but just in case it isn't, having a link would be helpful to others experiencing the same issue)

Vary Bristle-Tyrant Jul 3, 2023

@Deglassco [looks at the streets of Boston] [looks back] Oh, _thaaat_ Boylston family... today I learned!

maiamaia Jul 2, 2023

@Deglassco and India?

Aviva Gary Jul 2, 2023

@Deglassco very cool

Wigbert B 🎻🏛🎭🎤🗞🎥📚Jul 2, 2023

curious, where is this image / map taken from ?

(& thank you for your very interesting & educational posts)

LeRoc Jul 2, 2023

@Deglassco Onesimus is the name of a Biblical slave (Philemon 1:8-11)

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 3, 2023

@leroc yes it is. This is probably where Mather got it.

LeRoc Jul 4, 2023

@Deglassco I've been trying to read up on how conservative Christians twisted and turned the Biblical Onesimus story to fit their pro-slavery views. It gets rather weird.

CellyBlue Jul 2, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon why we must fight the stripping of History in our schools. Ignorance has never been bliss.

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 3, 2023

@celset2 Sadly, it’s the way it has always been.

Lachesis Jul 2, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon
alt text:
probably a painted portrait of Onesimus ("oh-NEE-see-muss") from the neck up, a good looking guy with warm brown skin, soft alert eyes (direct gaze), a half-smile showing teeth, short black hair, a bit of shirt and jacket collar fading out at the bottom. I'd let HIM inoculate me, wink wink

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 3, 2023

@Lachesis Thank you. That’s a great description. My alt text box won’t let me out in more than five or six words before it grays out.

Wolleysegap Jul 3, 2023

@Lachesis @Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon The name probably seems strange to Western readers but there was a man by that name around when the Apostle Paul was making his missionary journeys. He probably was a slave to a man named Philemon. That Onesimus worked with Paul and was eventually declared a saint, at least by the Eastern Orthodox.

Lachesis Jul 4, 2023

@Wolleysegap @BlackMastodon @Deglassco

"...I could be bold & order you to do what you ought to do,
yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love.
It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—
that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus,
who became my son while I was in chains.

"...If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me."
-- by paul from tarsus, the wandering tentmaker, rehabilitated & vehement

Barbara Monaco Jul 2, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon Fascinating history. Thank you.

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 3, 2023

@Barbramon1 Thank you for reading it.

Pauline von Hellermann Jul 2, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon

Thank you so much for this grrat thread. I’ve known of historical West African variolation practices for some time, and had been wondering whether/how Europeans learned this from West Africans. Here is to #Onesimus !

Lauralee Dukeshire (she/her)Jul 2, 2023

@Deglassco Thanks so much for sharing Onesimus's story!

Mysturji Jul 2, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon
This is a thread.
You will read it.

Marsha Jul 3, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon No wonder #MAGAMORONS hate vaccination. It was invented by Africans.

Mags at Large Jul 3, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon Thank you! Fascinating history.

TheJen Jul 3, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon

I was actually aware of this, but your information is much more detailed. Absolutely fascinating. Thank you.

Purple Converse Jul 3, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon - Fascinating, thank you!

Bleistifterin Jul 3, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon
Thank you for another lesson. So much to learn!

msgbi Markus Sagebiel Jul 3, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon @charles_ex