Scholars@Duke
Journal cover image

Narrative Exposures: Reading Immunity in Cotton Mather's Smallpox Writings

Journal articles
Apple, E
Published in: The New England Quarterly
June 1, 2026
Published version (DOI) Publisher Link

When smallpox returned to Boston in 1721, Cotton Mather was quick to promote the African practice of inoculation. This essay returns to the Antinomian Controversy of 1636-38 to resituate Mather’s inoculation advocacy in a longer history of Puritan public health concepts. I argue that the minister drew on a decades-old paradigm when he endorsed the procedure.

Duke Scholars

Elizabeth Apple
Author Elizabeth Apple  
Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

The New England Quarterly

DOI

10.1162/tneq.a.1063

EISSN

1937-2213

ISSN

0028-4866

Publication Date

June 1, 2026

Volume

99

Issue

2

Start / End Page

175 / 201

Publisher

MIT Press

Related Subject Headings

  • History
  • 4705 Literary studies
  • 4303 Historical studies
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Apple, E. (2026). Narrative Exposures: Reading Immunity in Cotton Mather's Smallpox Writings. The New England Quarterly, 99(2), 175–201. https://doi.org/10.1162/tneq.a.1063
Apple, Elizabeth. “Narrative Exposures: Reading Immunity in Cotton Mather's Smallpox Writings.” The New England Quarterly 99, no. 2 (June 1, 2026): 175–201. https://doi.org/10.1162/tneq.a.1063.
Apple E. Narrative Exposures: Reading Immunity in Cotton Mather's Smallpox Writings. The New England Quarterly. 2026 Jun 1;99(2):175–201.
Apple, Elizabeth. “Narrative Exposures: Reading Immunity in Cotton Mather's Smallpox Writings.” The New England Quarterly, vol. 99, no. 2, MIT Press, June 2026, pp. 175–201. Crossref, doi:10.1162/tneq.a.1063.
Apple E. Narrative Exposures: Reading Immunity in Cotton Mather's Smallpox Writings. The New England Quarterly. MIT Press; 2026 Jun 1;99(2):175–201.
Journal cover image

Published In

The New England Quarterly

DOI

10.1162/tneq.a.1063

EISSN

1937-2213

ISSN

0028-4866

Publication Date

June 1, 2026

Volume

99

Issue

2

Start / End Page

175 / 201

Publisher

MIT Press

Related Subject Headings

  • History
  • 4705 Literary studies
  • 4303 Historical studies