At the time when these US Army folks were supposedly handing out smallpox blankets, germ theory did not even exist. The smallpox plague that hit the Native Americans arrived decades before germ theory was invented.
Smallpox: 1837-1838 (and also of course previously)
There does seem to be some evidence that Canadian troops did this intentionally, but again it was much later, was not wide-spread, the stories are anecdotal, and in no case was this US Army policy, etc.
Also-also, someone could come along and say I'm full of shit because X person in the 1700s came up with the idea that small "insects" were communicating disease, etc. Which is true. So I should have been more careful to say that a formal "Germ Theory" had not been expressed at the time of the big Smallpox Epidemic of 1837/38, and certainly was not prevalent in the minds of US Army people (or anyone else), and in no case was it US Army policy. Did someone decide that these blankets have bad "humours"/juju in them so we should give them to the injuns? Yes, possibly. But it was not widespread or policy.
At the time when these US Army folks were supposedly handing out smallpox blankets, germ theory did not even exist. The smallpox plague that hit the Native Americans arrived decades before germ theory was invented.
Smallpox: 1837-1838 (and also of course previously)
Germ Theory: 1860s
https://www.historynet.com/smallpox-in-the-blankets/
There does seem to be some evidence that Canadian troops did this intentionally, but again it was much later, was not wide-spread, the stories are anecdotal, and in no case was this US Army policy, etc.
Thank you
I keep writing "gene theory" meaning "germ theory". Sorry, bad reflexes. I'll fix it.
Also-also, someone could come along and say I'm full of shit because X person in the 1700s came up with the idea that small "insects" were communicating disease, etc. Which is true. So I should have been more careful to say that a formal "Germ Theory" had not been expressed at the time of the big Smallpox Epidemic of 1837/38, and certainly was not prevalent in the minds of US Army people (or anyone else), and in no case was it US Army policy. Did someone decide that these blankets have bad "humours"/juju in them so we should give them to the injuns? Yes, possibly. But it was not widespread or policy.