Michael B.A. Oldstone will present two lectures this week as part of a lecture series focused on smallpox’s impact on culture and history.
Oldstone, a UA alumnus and member of the National Academy of Sciences, an honor society for prominent scientists, is the author of the book “Viruses, Plagues, and History.”
A general introduction to the book written by Oldstone and featured on The New York Times Web site reads, “Battles have been won or lost when a particular virus infected one army but not its adversaries. Viruses have depleted the native populations of several continents. Entire countries have been changed geographically, economically, and religiously as a result of sweeping virus infections that were impervious to known cures.”
Lawrence Clayton, professor of history, and Amy Holmes-Tagchungdarpa, assistant professor of history, will also speak about the ways smallpox has shaped history.
All four lectures are free and open to the public and will be held at Lloyd Hall Room 222 at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, and Thursday.
Oldstone spoke on Monday and again on Thursday, Clayton on Tuesday, and Holmes-Tagchungdarpa will speak today.
According to UA News, Oldstone has begun an appointment as a visiting professor and scholar-in-residence in the biology department this 2009-10 academic year.
Oldstone currently teaches in the department of immunology and microbial science at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif.
Oldstone’s first lecture focused on the damage smallpox inflicted on various populations and how people responded to those crises.
Oldstone said the smallpox virus originated in the region of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and spread from Persia into China and then elsewhere.
He said that in China, smallpox is referred to as “Hunpox” since the Huns were responsible for carrying the disease into the area.
Oldstone also said cultures have dealt with outbreaks of smallpox in unique ways, often by invoking religious figures.
“Various cultures have worshipped deities of smallpox,” Oldstone said.
For instance, Oldstone said the Hindu religion erected a Hindu goddess of smallpox who searched for victims and gave them a dose of the disease that wouldn’t kill them but would still infect them.
Clayton said he would focus on the spread of smallpox into Mexico during its conquest.
Clayton said smallpox and not the superior Spanish technology, like steel, swords and horses, inflicted the most devastating blow to the indigenous population.
“The Spanish forces had around 1,000 to 1,500 at the most, while the Aztec army had tens of thousands,” Clayton said.
Holmes-Tagchungdarpa said her lecture will focus on the impact of smallpox in Tibet.
“In my talk, I will focus on the cultural reaction to smallpox in Tibet, and its broader implications for Tibetan society,” she said in an e-mailed statement. “We know that smallpox was enormously influential in broader world history, and has been in Asia for over 2,000 years. It spread through trade, conquest, pilgrimage and cultural interchange.”
Holmes-Tagchungdarpa said that Tibet is an interesting case to study because of the misconception of its isolation from world affairs.
“The reason why it is interesting and pertinent to think about smallpox in Tibet is because Tibet is often portrayed in mainstream western society as having been an isolated area with little interaction with the outside world,” she said in an e-mail. “The repeated appearance of smallpox epidemics disrupts this image, as it points to the presence of ongoing trade and interaction with other areas.”
Oldstone’s final lecture on Thursday evening will conclude the lecture series.
