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. 2005 Mar 1;18(1):29–43. doi: 10.1016/S0891-5520(03)00100-4

Table 5.

Key features of smallpox in Thucydides' description

Features present Features not present
Fever Back or loin pain
Rapid onset Pox
Red eyes Runny nose, sneezing
Livid red rash (hemorrhagic smallpox rash in thighs, groin) Foul breathDiarrhea
Blisters, sores Loss of sight
Intense sensation of internal heat Sleeplessness
Body or extremity gangrene Loss of memory
Loss of sight Death by exhaustion

Adapted from Page DL. Thucydides' description of the great plague of Athens. Classic Q 1953;3:97–119.