History of smallpox centuries, the WHO certified the global eradication of smallpox in December 1979. Smallpox is one of two infectious diseases to have been eradicated, the other being rinderpest, which was declared eradicated in 2011. It has been suggested that smallpox was a major component of the Plague of Athens that occurred in 430 BCE, during the Peloponnesian Wars, and was described by Thucydides. Galen's description of the Antonine Plague, which swept through the Roman Empire in 165–180, indicates that it was probably caused by smallpox. Returning soldiers brought the disease home with them to Syria and Italy, where it raged for
Driven to refusal Driven to refusal This is an engineering term for describing how far to drive piles. It is also used in surveying when driving metal posts and monuments that are to be used as bench marks (ie. the elevation of which will be established to a high degree of accuracy). When a very high degree of stability is required the post will be inside an oil filled outer casing to protect it against movement of the surrounding ground usually because of the frost. A rod or pile has been "driven to refusal" when five more blows of an adequate hammer will