Were you recently at the Virginia Historical Society, viewing the "Bizarre Bits" exhibit?
Are you feeling okay?
The VHS certainly lives up to its proclamation, "Neat Stuff Inside."
Where else can you view items like a fungus carving of Robert E. Lee on his horse, Confederate President Jefferson Davis's cigar, a wreath made of human hair and plenty of other titillating bits of history?
Including scabs that might contain small pox?
Yes, that’s right. Could this be the start of the end of the world on May 21?
Probably not.
But the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) didn’t want to take any chances, as the results could have been devastating.
There was a handwritten letter, dated 1876, with a little charm known as a smallpox scab tucked inside.
It was sent with good intention, 135 years ago, from a son to his father in Charlottesville.
"Dear Pa ... the piece I enclose is perfectly fresh and was taken from an infant's arm yesterday," read the letter. "Dr. Harris says the enclosed scab will vaccinate 12 persons, but if you want more, you must send for it. I will pin this to the letter so that you cannot lose it as you did before."
A whistle blowing scientist alerted the CDC, who dispatched representatives to extract the scab and transport it safely to a lab in Atlanta. There it was determined that the scab did not actually have the deadly virus, only some of the virus used in the smallpox vaccine.
There really is no need for worry. The specimen has actually been with the museum since 2009. Archivists enclosed and sealed the scab within mylar, and on exhibit it was further shielded under a museum display case.
"From the very beginning, the CDC was excited about the opportunity to conduct research on this scab because there are so few opportunities to do so," Lee Shepard, VHS VP for Collections said.
The precautions that the CDC representatives took when they came to get the scab were protocol; they only used gloves and wore lab coats," Shepard added.
Scientists at the CDC downgraded the specimen from a high security lab once no health risk was apparent.
"Preliminary results from the CDC have verified that there has been no danger from this specimen and no additional precautions are required when it returns to the VHS," Shepard said.
In between Final Four news and smallpox scares, Richmond manages to stay in the national spotlight—if only by the skin of our teeth.
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