noun
Dated medical term for the disease smallpox. In modern contexts, 天然痘 (てんねんとう) is more common.
See also: 天然痘
疱瘡はかつて世界中で恐れられた病気だった。
Smallpox was once a feared disease around the world.
noun
smallpox vaccination
Historical term for inoculation against smallpox, now replaced by 種痘 (しゅとう) or ワクチン接種.
See also: 種痘
江戸時代に疱瘡の予防接種が始まった。
Smallpox vaccination began in the Edo period.
noun
smallpox scars; pockmarks
Refers to the scars left on the skin after recovering from smallpox. Dated usage; modern descriptions might use あばた.
彼の顔には疱瘡の跡が残っていた。
His face bore the scars of smallpox.
The kanji 疱 (blister) and 瘡 (sore, boil) combine to describe the disease's characteristic skin lesions. The reading ほうそう is on'yomi. The term is now largely historical.