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A Religious Dramatic Representation of the Power of the [Hindu] Goddess of Smallpox

  • Circa 1913

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This illustration is a reproduction of a drawing depicting the Hindu goddess, Śītalā. The illustration accompanies a discussion of the development of smallpox inoculation which emerged from Hindu cultures as early as 1500 B.C.

This plate is found in the publication, The History of Inoculation and Vaccination for the Prevention and Treatment of Disease, a book on the history of vaccination associated with the American Medical Association's 1913 Annual Meeting, which took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The publication includes a forward by Henry S. Wellcome, followed by sections titled "The 'Wellcome' Materia Medica Farm: A Modern Physic Garden" and "Medical Equipments from Pole to Pole." This is followed by a supply catalog section, a pharmaceutical products section, advertisements for medical products, awards given by the Wellcome Chemical Research Laboratories, and drawings of the Wellcome research laboratories located in London, England as well as their office in New York City, New York.

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  • 17 cm H
  • 1 page
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  • (Text beneath plate) "From an Antient Oriental Drawing. The goddess stands with two uplifted crooked daggers, threatening to strike on the right and left. Before her is a band of the executors of her vengeance. Two of them wear grinning red masks, carry black shields, and brandish naked scimitars. White lines, like, rays, issue from the bodies of the others, to indicate infection. On the left there is a group of men with spotted bodies, inflicted by the malady ; bells are hung at their cinctures, and a few of them wave in their hands black feathers. They are preceded by musicians with drums, who are supplicating the pity of the furious deity. Behind the goddess, on the right, there advances a bevy of smiling young women, who are carrying gracefully on their heads baskets with thanksgiving offerings, in gratitude for their lives and their beauty having been spared. There is, besides, a little boy with a bell at his girdle, who seems to be conveying something from the right arm of the goddess. This action may probably be emblematic of inoculation. In a country where every thought, word and deed are mere repetitions of those of their progenitors, a composition like this bears the stamp of great antiquity."
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  • Courtesy of Science History Institute

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American Medical Association. “A Religious Dramatic Representation of the Power of the [Hindu] Goddess of Smallpox.” The History of Inoculation and Vaccination for the Prevention and Treatment of Disease. London, England: Burroughs Wellcome and Company, circa 1913. https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/h2iyxek.

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The Science History Institute recognizes there are materials in our collections that may be offensive or harmful, containing racist, sexist, Eurocentric, ableist, or homophobic language or depictions. The history of science is not exempt from beliefs or practices harmful to traditionally marginalized groups. The Institute is engaged in ongoing efforts to responsibly present and address the evidence of oppression and injustice inextricable from the history of science. If you would like to learn more about our ongoing efforts or if you encounter harmful, inaccurate, or insufficient descriptions, please contact us at digital@sciencehistory.org.