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Ring a ring a roses

Posted by David FG on May 03, 2010 at 11:18

In Reply to: Ring a ring a roses posted by Ruth White on May 03, 2010 at 09:41:

: Ring a ring a roses has been discredited for the bubonic plague. However has anyone considered it for smallpox?

: Smallpox produces a rash i.e "ring a roses". It's symptoms are described as "flu like" which involves sneezing "atishoo atishoo". It also had a high mortality rate, especially among the young. "We all fall down"

: Edward Jenner vaccinated against smallpox using cowpox. The English version as its second verse "cows in the meadow eating buttercups, atishhoo atishoo, we all jump up."

I would suggest that the same objections apply to this theory as apply to the plague idea. The 'atishoo' bit is not universal for one thing: there are many versions which don't have it.

And sneezing is not a symptom of Smallpox.

DFG

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