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
- Ring a ring a roses Victoria S Dennis 03/May/10