이 논문은 역사적으로, 민족학적으로 천연두의 피해에 대해서 어떻게 대처하였는가를 고찰한 것이다. 천연두는 민족과 시대를 막론하고 무서운 병으로 인식되어서 각 시대, 문화마다 독특한 방제법을 고안해 냈다. 조선 시대에는 이 무서운 두창을 막기 위해서 관민(官民)이 여러 가지로 대책에 진력하였다. 관련 의약서도 다수 편찬되었다. 그리고 일단 병이 나면, 관에서는 격리법을 시행하여 전염이 되는 것을 막았고, 백성들은 두신제(痘神祭)를 행했다. 환자를 위한 손님굿 절차는 지방과 무격에 따라 각각 특색이 있어서 일정치가 않지만 12거리 중 호구거리와 별상거리에서 행해진다. 천연두 신에 대한 두려움은 갖가지 금기(禁忌)로 나타나기도 했다. 침술이나 복약 등 의술적 치료도 일절 금하며 `별상마마님`이라는 식의 최고 존칭으로 불렀다. 예방, 치료도 중요했지만, 천연두는 치료 후의 의례도 특이했다. 병을 앓고 난 뒤 13일째 되는 날 배송(拜送)굿을 해서 두신을 전송하기도 했다. 역신(疫神)에 대한 환대배송(歡待拜送)은 일본에서도 행해졌다. 일본도 천연두는 악신(惡神)의 소행으로 보고 악신을 내보내는 의례(儀禮)가 최근까지도 농촌지대에서는 빈번히 행해졌다. 이 무서운 천연두 신도 정중하게 대접하면 도리어 비호(庇護)를 주는 것으로 믿어져 왔다. 역신이 복신(福神)이 되는 것을 말하는데 이것은 천연두 신이 보여주는 특징적인 성격이다. 인도의 경우는 천연두를 지배하며 질병을 치유하는 신으로 시탈라(Sitala) 여신을 언급하고 있다. 시바 신을 섬기던 왕이 69명의 아이들과 모든 신하들이 천연두에 희생되자 시바 신이 도리어 시탈라 여신을 숭배할 것을 왕에게 권하여 마침내 구제되었다는 신화도 전한다. 세계적으로 두려움의 대상이었던 천연두가 마침내 지구상에서 근절되었음을 세계보건기구(WHO)가 1979년 선언하였다.

The World Health Organization(WHO) announced that smallpox was finally exterminated from the earth in 1979. It had taken 181 years since Edward Jenner first invented the method of inoculation with cowpox vaccine. For a long time, smallpox was one of the most dreadful epidemics. It broke out first in India, and subsequently infiltrated China in AD 2~3. Afterward, it diffused into Korea in the mid-6th century, and then it diffused from southern Korea into Japan. Smallpox must have been prevalent in the Age of the Three Kingdoms in Korea and the during the subsequent Korea Dynasty. The disease was even more prevalent during the Chosun Dynasty. Common people in Korea thought that evil spirits in Southern China brought and disseminated smallpox. Because they considered smallpox as Goddess Hogu and God Pyulsang, rituals were carried out by shamans, known as the Twelve Rituals. People also gave an honorific name to smallpox, mama, which meant esteemed visitor or guest. During the rule of the Chosun Dynasty, the government and people made a variety of efforts to prevent smallpox, but with no effect results. Those efforts included publishing a medical book and curative rituals. Also, because the government of the Chosun Dynasty officially approved the effectiveness of medical rituals, as insignificant number of shamans were registered as medical practitioners by the government`s medical department and were encouraged to prevent smallpox. Eventually, at the end of the Chosun Dynasty(1876), Suk-Yung Chi introduced the vaccination method using a cow pox vaccine from Japan and was able to exterminate smallpox in Korea. Until then, common people in Korea used to perform the ritual of "Mama Baesong Kuts" to kindly entreat and send away the smallpox "gods." Smallpox gods were thought to become gods of wealth if well treated. In the case of Japan, while people attempted to use magic means instead of shamanic ritual in preventing smallpox, they also believed that the smallpox god would become a god of wealth if it was well treated. In West Bengal, India, the goddess of smallpox was named "Sitala." In the myth related to Sitala, she believed that she was revered by the divinities but complained, "No mortal ever worships me." For this reason, Sitala visited the king of Candraketu with sixty-four smallpox gods in order to ask him to worship Sitala. But as the king refused their suggestion, so the king`s subjects and princes were died of smallpox. Finally, when the lord Siva eventually asked the king to worship Sitala and the king accepted the request, his subjects and princes were revived. In a different Sitala myth, the goddess and sixty-four smallpox gods visited Munipur and contaminated the children of Rama worshipers with smallpox. As the children died of smallpox, their parents grieved despairingly. However, as "Dhanvantari," the god of medicine, helped them to worship Sitala, those children were revived and Munipur restored to its peace. These two myths of the goddess of smallpox commonly emphasize the worship of smallpox. Vishnu and Siva are also believed to worship Sitala. In India, indigenous medical treatment of pox is in charge of Malakar people, who are the caste related to garland making. Keeping images of one or more of these goddesses, Malakar people conduct smallpox vaccination and medically help infected people. They also regularly hold Malibag festival in the first of Chait. Yet, Malakar people are different from Shamans. In Mama Baesong Kuts of Korea, Shaman along with people kindly treat God and Goddess of smallpox. When they conduct a performance to send warmly Mama Gods and Goddesses on horse off their village, there is a moment of comic dialogue between road-horse man and Shaman. Similarly to conventional Korean Shamanism which include dramatic content in the process of several rituals, Mama Baesong Kuts shows the dramatization of Shamanistic rituals. The dramatization of Korean Shamanism is one of the unique characteristic in Northeast Asian Shamanism. In this context, Mama Baesong Kuts provide useful implications for discussions on the origin of Shamanism and theatrical performance.