Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Sex, Drugs and Violence: The Stories Behind 10 Brooklyn Streetnames
Posted by Khiara Ortiz on Wed, Jul 25, 2012 at 10:24 AM
Page 4 of 10
Montague Street
This Brooklyn Heights street was named after the British Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. In 1715, she was infected with smallpox, left without eyelashes, and scarred by the disease. In 1717 she moved to Turkey with her husband and observed the Oriental practice of inoculation against smallpox. She had both of her children inoculated and promoted the practice upon returning to England. Included in the people who survived inoculation were seven British prisoners awaiting execution who were given the choice to test the vaccine or be executed. The prisoners chose inoculation and were freed after recovery. However, several others became sick and died. Lady Wortley wrote an anonymous article in response to the spreading fear of vaccination and in 1754 she was praised for bringing the practice to in England.
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