Smallpox and Malaria Treatment in the 1700’s Diseases are one of the few things in life that have been around for centuries. Almost all diseases started from viruses, then turned into much bigger outbreaks that could take centuries to cure. The first cases of smallpox and a few other deadly diseases occurred around 300 CE (“History of Smallpox”). Ever since then, doctors have created medicines and vaccines to prevent further outbreaks, but in the 1700’s it was much harder. During the Revolutionary war, the viruses Malaria and smallpox left people dying, so there were many treatments doctors used to try to stop them. Malaria was an especially common disease during the American Revolution, often fatal. All throughout the colonies, mosquitos