In 1760, Charleston, in what is now South Carolina, faced what was to become known as the Great Small Pox Epidemic. In a city of 8,000 people, most of whom had no immunity, smallpox spread during the early months of 1760. The Charlestonians' response was superior to the modern world's response to COVID. Most importantly, Charlestonians did not overreact, although smallpox posed a more serious threat than COVID. While COVID, on average, kills 2% of those who are infected, with the elderly and people with comorbidities at the greatest risk, smallpox killed 33% of those infected, regardless of age or...