The ABCs of smallpox: which methods of treatment make sense and why. (Gazette).

MEDICINE DEPENDS ON probability: the probability of a disease occurring, the likelihood that it will spread or can be prevented, the odds of a side effect resulting from a tool of treatment or prevention. A risk-benefit analysis evaluates the risk of a disease versus what doctors can do to prevent or treat it. With smallpox, the greatest problem recently has been an exaggerated perception of its risk. The public is divided into two camps: those who are afraid of smallpox and those who are afraid of the vaccine.

Smallpox is a debilitating disease that leaves behind disfiguring ...