Inoculation was introduced to America by a slave. Few details are known about the birth of Onesimus, but it is assumed he was born in Africa in the late seventeenth century being brought to Boston as a gift to the Puritan church minister Cotton Mather.
Onesimus told Mather about the centuries old tradition of inoculation practiced in Africa. By extracting the material from an infected person and scratching it into the skin of an uninfected person, you could deliberately introduce smallpox to the healthy individual making them immune. Considered extremely dangerous at the time, Cotton Mather convinced Dr. Zabdiel Boylston to experiment with the procedure when a smallpox epidemic hit Boston in 1721 and over 240 people were inoculated. Onesimus’ traditional African practice was used to inoculate American soldiers during the Revolutionary War and introduced the concept of inoculation to the United States.
Our affirmation: We welcome Divine Wisdom through all beings on this planet. One Mind, One Love, One Connection.
Invitation to Action: Become educated as to Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome with this article by Dr. Joy Degruy: https://joydegruy.com/resources-2/post-traumatic-slave-syndrome/