Blankets with smallpox

The idea of Anglo-Americans giving smallpox-infected blankets to Indians has become a mainstream cultural reference. It signifies how bad the genocide was--how far the white men were willing to go to eliminate the Indians. That makes it a legitimate point of interest for students of pop culture like me.

So how bad were these early attempts at germ warfare? See The Facts About Blankets with Smallpox for the straight dope on the subject.