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Dear Todd Harvey,

Despite the stories about "smallpox blankets", we do not see proof or confirmation. To the contrary, in the 1950s, virologists [sic] mixed human scabs (from smallpox sores) with various liquids, then injected that "soup" into developing chick embryos. After the developing chicks suffered poisoning, Helbert (1957) writing in the Lancet claimed that such proved that there was a virus in the scabs (crust) and that such stayed ACTIVE up to 9 years!

Ironically, Downie and Dumbell (1947) using this same method found that one batch of egg cultures did not produce lesions. Hmm. No matter. I think that my chicken eggs will be fine so long as no one cracks the shell, and injects foreign material.

Then again, human scabs might possess virus ... even after nine years.

Best

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Check Mongol on this , above.

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