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The Red Treatment or erythrotherapy was the widespread use of red objects to treat smallpox. It was believed that that red objects had a healing property against smallpox. The earliest traces of red being used as a treatment against smallpox takes up to 10th century Japan where the color red was generally known as the color “for expelling demons and illness”according to Japanese folk. . = Association with Deities = In most areas where smallpox was endemic, it was traditional to have a god to whom the people prayed to spare them from getting infected with smallpox. In most of these cultures, the gods were associated with the color red.

Daruma
Daruma is the 7th century god of smallpox in Japan. Before he was worshipped as a god, he was a 5th century Buddhist Monk known as the founder of Zen Buddhism. He is one of the first gods to be worshipped by means of using the color red against smallpox. He is always depicted wearing red and it was customary that if children became ill with smallpox, they would be given the Daruma doll to keep up their spirits and hopes of surviving. .

Tametomo
Minamoto no Tametomo was a 12th century archer considered to be the best warrior in Japan during his time. According to legend, he was once exiled to an island by his enemies and during a smallpox outbreak, he prevent smallpox demons from landing on that island. As a result, smallpox never attacked the island and after his death, he was worshipped everywhere as the smallpox god. His statues were dressed with red cloths and all his shrines were painted red. He is often depicted wearing red and chasing away smallpox demons. .

Shopona
Shopona or Sopona was the god of smallpox in Nigeria in the Yoruba region. According to the Yoruba religion, a fetish priest spiritually assigned to Shopona, would use the fear of the disease to manipulate people yet they be punished by Shopona by way of getting infected with smallpox. Folk tale goes that during the warm season,“Shopona prowls about, wearing red, seeking to vent his anger. For this reason, red is a colour reserved for the god.” Therefore, red was used as a treatment to appease Shopona.

Omolu
Omolu also known as Babalu Aye is the New World version of Sopona. He was specifically worshipped by African slaves who were brought to Brazil and Cuba. The African slaves were Yoruba people and so practiced the Yoruba religion. And as Yoruba religion dictated, Sopona was the smallpox. He is always depicted as a dancer wearing a large red skirt, as red was considered to be his color. Therefore, red was used as a treatment to appease Shopona.

St. Barbara
St. Barbara is a Christian martyr from 4th century who came to be worshipped as a diety in the 7th century; she was considered the goddess of smallpox among other things. See for other things of which she is the patron saint. She is traditionally depicted wearing red garments. See. = Scientific References to the Red Treatment =

I Shinho
The red treatment was first advocated in a Japanese medical text in 982 A.D. The text was called I Shinho and it recommended hanging red cloths around a smallpox patient’s room.

Averroes
Averroes, a Spanish-Muslim physician, lived in the 12th century. He was the first western Physician to advocated the red treatment. He said that smallpox gave way to undesirable humours that need to be excreted, and since red objects had warming properties, red was seen as the healing color.

Gilbertus Anglicus
The next physician was an Englishman living in the 13th century, Gilbertus Anglicus. In his medical text, Compedium Medicinae, he encouraged the use of red color items to treat smallpox patients; he was the first European to suggest the red treatment and ushered in centuries more of the red treatment.

Valescus De Taranta
De Taranta was a Portuguese physican who lived in the 14th century. He helped spread the red treatment throughout Portugal. According to him, the idea of using the color red to treat smallpox was justifiable by the ancient concept of doctrine of signatures whereby a disease would be treated with remedy bearing resemblance in color or shape to the disease.

Niels Finsen
In 1893 Niels Finsen claimed to have discovered a way to use red light to reduce scarring from smallpox; he called it Erythrotherapy (from the Greek erythro meaning red. As stated in his biography, he was a pioneer in the field of light therapy as medicine and later received a Nobel Prize in Medicine for his use of the wavelength of light rays to treat lupus vulgaris. According to his research, the red light that resulted after chemical rays with longer wavelengths were filtered out, if applied as treatment on a smallpox patient reduced the size of the pustules and therefore decrease scarring. = Monarchs Associated with the Red Treatment =

King Charles V of France
Charles V of France became infected with smallpox in the 14th century. His prescription was to wear all red clothing and to drink red wine.

Prince John
Prince John was young son of Edward II of England. When he came down with smallpox, his physician, John Gaddeson treated him with the red treatment. Later, he was quoted given advice on how to treeat smallpox: “Then let a red cloth be taken, and the variolous patient be wrapped in it completely, as I did with the son of the most noble King of England…I made everything around his bed red.”

Queen Elizabeth I
Queen Elizabeth I was infected with smallpox in 1582. As her only treatment, she was placed in a room draped with red cloths and ordered to drink red wine. Unlike many others, she survived her bout with smallpox, making the red treatment even more popular.

Joseph I of Austria
Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor was also infected with smallpox in 1711. His English physician wrapped him in a 20 yard scarlet cloth as treatment. However, he still died as did many of the Hapsburg rulers from smallpox. = Notes =