Onesimus: The Forgotten Pioneer of Immunology

Onesimus single-handedly introduced the medical technique that would save millions of lives,

yet history barely remembers his name. This enslaved African man brought variolation to Colonial America

in 1721, a practice where you deliberately expose someone to a small amount of

smallpox material to build immunity against the full disease. When a devastating

smallpox epidemic hit Boston, Cotton Mather remembered what Onesimus had taught him about

this African medical practice. Mather convinced Doctor Zabdiel Boylston to try the technique

despite fierce opposition from the medical establishment. The results were revolutionary.

Only six people died out of 287 who received variolation, while one in seven people died from