45. This Woman is Infected with Smallpox
The writing on this photo says, “Lydia Jane had smallpox.” Smallpox is possibly the disease that has shaped humanity more than any other since its origins in Egypt in the third century BCE. The disease wiped out most Native Americans when Europeans landed in the New World. This picture should give a clue as to why smallpox has been so deadly throughout history. The woman has pimple-like blisters that come through even in the low-quality black-and-white photograph. The writing on the photo indicates that she may have survived, though she certainly would have been worse for wear.