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Episode 2 Winners 1997
solution: SMALLPOX
Click on a name to see their explanations below.
Explanations
John Chibbaro
Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest
grade: 12
explanation: All of the subjects display common symptoms
of smallpox. Plus, Mr. Yates, a man previously infected
as he already had a pockmarked face) was chosen to care for the people in
the tent. Some who died in the tent were buried, yet the four without graves
were burned, a common practice to eliminate dead smallpox victims.
Kelly Younge
Mayo High School grade: 9
explanation: The reason that I suspect the disease was
smallpox is that
1) Sarah Byers was examined by the doctor (forearms) and therefore had already
had small pox and then let into the quarantine tent, (2) Yates had the "pock
marked" face so he was a "logical" first choice to help with Mr. Harper,
3) Mr. Tabot came down with a fever after exchanging garments with a man
who had died from fever (small pox is spread by contact with clothing)
The Four Without Graves are Harper, Mother, Smith and Carlotto because they
were all burned and not buried. The only person we know anything about is
Harper, because Perditta's diary says that Mr. Yates was an obvious choice
to go into the quarantine with Harper, most likely because he had already
had Small Pox
pock marked face) So! We know that Harper had Small Pox and there fore,
we assume that the rest of the people also had it because there were no
distinguishing differences mention in their symtoms. About Mr. Pierce: Mr.
Pierce was not included in this mystery most likely because he had some
other disease than Small Pox because his disease unknown to the Center for
Disease and Prevention and he was getting well from it. Since mother got
sick and there was no evidence she had had Small Pox, and Yates and Sarah
didn't get sick and they had had Small Pox, the only choice for disease
is Small Pox. The reason I think it's not the plague is because Sarah Byers
and Yates didn't show any signs of it.
Tammie Sprott
Pine Tree
grade: 9
explanation: It must have been an acute contagios disease,
or the people would not have died so quickly from being arround each other.
All of the people that died from it were in contact with each other and
each other's belongings. They all had a high fever which abated fairly quickly.
Everyone who got it died. This was before 1895, so they would not have been
vacinated yet. It could not have been plague because there were no rats
mentioned, and fleas cannot live that far north. It could not have been
lead poisening because lead poisoning is not contageous. It could not have
been Antimony poisoning, because the people administering the medicine would
not have contracted the disease. It was most likely not cowpox, for cowpox
is usually not deadly. It was most likely not botulism, because it is not
contageous.
Peter Austin Duchan
Staples High School
grade: 9
explanation: I think my answer is correct for many reasons.
First of all, in Perdita's journal, she mentions that many gifts were given
at Christmas. Smallpox can be contracted by coming in contact with someone
who has this diseases belongings. Sarah Byers gave a pair of gloves to Mr.
Yates, who got pocks all over his face. Then he was placed in the care of
the quarentine tent and then Sarah wanted to join him and her only ticket
in were the pocks covering her forearms--also a symptom of smallpox. Tabot
also took the blankets of one who had alledgedly died of a fever--another
symptom of smallpox. Tabot now came in contact with the virus. Mr. Dermot
also gave away many coats. Also, one man had a high fever that went away
and this is a symptom of the smallpox. This disease is also still in existence,
though it is contained in vials in deep freeze.
Mariangela Lisanti
Staples High School
grade: 9
explanation: The evidence indicates that smallpox was
the reason that the four without graves died. The first condition of smallpox
is a very high fever, and all of the four people had this symptom. The fever
is supposed to go away before one gets rashes. Harper had had this fever
pattern, as directly stated in the doctor's and Perdita's diaries, before
getting the rashes. The sentence, "...Horror today written on the face of
poor Mr. Harper..." proves that this seaman did get the rashes. Perdita
could not talk to her mother when the wind blew because smallpox is very
contagious and it was thought that the wind spread the germs. The purpose
of the cloth that Perdita's mother wore over her face was to hide the rash
caused by smallpox.
This rash begins in the face and later progresses to the chest, arms, and
legs.) One knows that Mr. Yates had had smallpox becasue Perdita describes
his, "...pockmarked face..." Obviously, the disease had been within the
camp before, and!! it could have easily spread being that it is a contagious
viral disease. Lastly, there was a debate as to whether Mr. Yates or Mr.
Jakkelson should be sent into the quarantine camp. Mr. Yates had had smallpox,
and Mr. Jakkelson had been inoculated with cowpox. Because both these men
were immune to the disease and could both go into the quarentine camp, some
of the people in the quarantine camp were obviously infected with this disease.
As one can see, the evidence indicates that the four that died without graves
were infected with smallpox.
Ms Sams Period 3
John P. Stevens
grade: 10
explanation: Our class does not think it is lead poisoning
because we had found no apparent symptoms that may indicate it to be lead
poisoning. We believe it is not botulism because no one in the quarentine
tent had been parylized, and most probably the people in the tent were suffering
from the same disease as the people who had already died. We do not think
it is antimony poisoning because the disease did not spread through contact.
It wasn't cowpox because they did not have any cattle nor was it a fatal
disease. It wasn't the pneumonic plague because a rash is not one of the
symptoms. We think it could be smallpox because it is a fatal disease, they
had pock marks on there face, it is a highly contagious disease, there were
empty bottles of James Powder in the trash and a fever is one of the symptoms.
And finally, because Sarah and Mr. Yates had the pock marks on there bodies.
Elliott's 9-10th grade Biology Honors class
Mayo High School
grade: 9th/10th
explanation: They all died of smallpox. Mr. Tabot had
garments from a previous man who had died of the fever. Sarah Byers had
marks on her forearms, showing that she had had cowpox before and therefore
was immune to smallpox. Mr. Yates was the "obvious" choice to go into quarantine
with Mr. Harper because he had already had smallpox, evident by his pockmarked
face. Mr. Harper, therefore, must have had smallpox. We don't know much
about Mr. Carlotto and Mr. Smith, but we do know that Mr. Pierce had a disease
unknown to the Center for Disease and Prevention. If Pierce had had smallpox,
the Center for Disease and Prevention would have recognized it. Perdita's
mother covered her face when she spoke with Perdita, mimicking pnuemonic
plague, but then Mr. Yates and Ms. Byers would have shown symptoms of the
plague. The lead and mercury levels in the samples were from Jakkelson handing
out medications everyday and the poorly soldered tin cans. They burned the
bodies to prevent further disease.
Period 7 Human Biology Class
Presque Isle (Maine) High School
grade: 11th and 12th
explanation: All indications point to smallpox as the
killer of the "four without graves." Their bodies were burned, indicating
that they probably had something contagious. That would narrow it to cowpox,
smallpox, plague and possibly an unknown disease. Cowpox is not generally
fatal. The victims did not show the symptoms of the extremely contagious
disease, pneumonic plague. And this disease probably would have affected
many more than the four. An unknown disease, apparently originating from
the meteorite, seems unlikely as some in the tent where the meteorite was
kept did not have any disease. This leaves smallpox as the most likely cause.
Yates and Byers, who were taking care of the victims in the quarantine tent,
had pock marks on their bodies, indicating a probable immunity to smallpox.
Lead and antimony poisoning were ruled out because the levels in the dead
that were tested were not in toxic amounts. Botulism wasn't the cause of
death because the ashes provided evidence that they cooked their food which
would have destroyed the toxin.
Ms. Sams Period 1
John P. Stevens High School
grade: 10
explanation: Smallpox - highly contageous, gifts exchanged
could have carried disease, Mr. Yates had pocked face and thought he should
care for ill. Mother covered face - pimples start on face.
NOT:
Antimony - No vomiting or scaley skin
Botulism - Did not have paralysis
Lead - Not high enough to be fatal
Cowpox - Not fatal
Pneumonic Plague - spread through air - everyone would have been exposed
and become ill.
Period 5 Human Biology Class
Presque Isle High School
grade: 11th and 12th
explanation: The victims could not have died from lead
or antimony poisoning since the tests showed the level in their bodies was
nowhere near a fatal amount. Botulism is impossible because they had fire
available to heat their canned food and this would destroy the toxin. Cowpox
is a threat to those who milk cows and there were no cows around. The plague
is not the cause because it is highly contafious and many more would have
had it. Smallpox is the cause of the deaths. Sarah and Yates were allowed
to take care of those in the quarantine tent because they were immune to
smallpox. Yates had a pockmarked face and Sarah was allowed to go into the
tent after her arms were examined. They must have shown evidence of pock
marks, too.
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