The people of the Old World brought their diseases with them, which took advantage of the Native Americans inexistent antibodies toward illnesses like smallpox- which brought about massive and catastrophic population decreases for the Native Americans, about 80-90%. The transfer of diseases, although more noticeable on the Native American populations, also went both ways. The people of the New World exposed the Old World to diseases like syphilis. This transfer shows
Hunter Harper Paper 1 Indians and disease Collin G. Calloway says it is true that disease was a key factor in the depopulation of native Americans in America. Calloway reveals that the European invasion was a great factor of epidemics. The disease they fought were smallpox, diphtheria, measles, bubonic, and pneumonic plaque, cholera, influenza, typhus, dysentery, and yellow fever. The native Americans had a tough time fighting theses diseases due to lack of knowledge of cures. These cures were mostly attempted by plant or herb remedies and often failed to provide protection for the Indian population.
He describes this year as a rather peaceful year in contrast to the years to come. The year 1763 drastically changed the political map and its human geography. Major events such as the proclamation of 1763 created many changes to the geography and the power of the British in North America. This book opened my eyes to the hardships the early American people had to deal with and the chaos in the colonies and in the west. Also, we were able to see the struggles and hardships that the Indians endured with the invasion of their lands.
Along with these new crops and animals, Christopher Columbus brought diseases with him that the natives were not immune to. This resulted in many dying from these illnesses. The Natives, which had been an isolated population for centuries lacked immunity to the sicknesses and subsequently suffered the consequences of Columbus’ visit. Fevers, smallpox, and measles were proved to be deadly and wiped out tribes at a time. In return, the Europeans fell to the New World disease of syphilis.
Chlamydia is currently one of the most common sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) caused by bacteria in the United States and continues to spread rapidly. The disease can be transmitted through oral, vaginal, or anal sex and, despite the common misconception, it can be spread without an ejaculation. Symptoms include painful urination, a clear or cloudy discharge from the penis or vagina, burning or itching around the groin, bleeding between menstrual periods, painful periods, and even infertility (WebMD). However, the most dangerous characteristic of the drug is that it can often go unnoticed or undetected and if there are symptoms, they may not present themselves until around three days later, furthering the spread of the disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "it is estimated that 1 in 15 sexually active females aged 14-19 years has chlamydia."
Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a contagious disease that was often mistaken for the common cold due to similarities in symptoms. Because of this, many people were exposed to the infected child without knowing. It was not until the whoop sound was heard repeatedly in a child’s cough that it was evident that they had pertussis. The coughing episodes cause “the face to to become red or purple, the eyes bulge, and the veins in the scalp dilate” (Van Dellen 14). Whooping cough is spread from person-to-person by droplets traveling through the air that carry bacteria from a cough or sneeze of an infected child.
There were a lot a deaths and diseases that spread among the neighboring Indian tribes that sent a lot of them to an early grave including Captain Gosnold the Projector of the Enterprise. Planter John Rolfe and Captain John Smith mapped the area and intimidated Indians getting food that kept settlers from starving. This ended the mad scramble for gold as well as forced the men to build defenses and plant Indian corn. The economy of the Virginia Colony depended on farming as the main source of money. Due to the climate the colony wasn’t able to produce other crops necessary for survival.
Shamans, conjurers, medicine men, or anyone who had claimed special power lost respect and authority because their traditional therapies were not effective in curing the infectious diseases. The disaster also distorted their spirituality. Some tribes believed that only extensive hunting of animals could stop the diseases (Kraut 19). It led to the development of the fur trade that brought more attention of Europeans to the New World. Fertile lands of the New World abundantly multiplied many Europeans fauna and flora.
Was the black plague/black death a positive or negative thing ? A question i once wondered and something many people probably still do .The bubonic plague caused a lot of hurt , some may think it was a good thing and some may not . In my opinion i think that the Black Plague was Harmful to everyone and the environment . There were many consequences caused by the black plague .As stated in the passage “ The population was forever changed in the western civilization”. I completely agree with the article because this plague caused a lot of of sickness which eventually turned into death .
For a time their population remained low but after hunting was controlled their population increased. The human population is effected by numerous factors, to which it increases or decreases. In the past, many things have happened to decrease human population such as natural disasters like tsunamis, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Also, diseases killed many before antibiotics and vaccinations were discovered, such as the black plague and small pox. From then until now, humans have made many more discoveries or cures for many diseases that would have been deadly back in the 1300’s.