The Journal of History Studies: International Journal of History published Dr. Foley’s article: When an American Minister Put His Faith in the Power of Islam: Muslim Medicine, Reason and Public Health in the Modern World. The article traces how Cotton Mather, a leading theologian in New England known for his role in the Salem Witch Trials, utilized Islamic ideas on medicine to combot the smallpox epidemic in Boston in 1721. Although Ben Franklin and his brother helped to lead the sizeable opposition in Boston to Mather’s approach to smallpox, his efforts helped saved lives and led to a reolution in public health in the Western world.
