DISEASE
When Europeans first touch the shores of the Americas, they brought with them many diseases. The native population was devastated by the illness brought by the Europeans for these reasons:
Common Old World diseases included:
Smallpox was the worst and most spectacular of the infectious diseases mowing down the native Americans. Spanish soldiers did less to defeat the Incas and Aztecs than smallpox did. Starvation was common because there were not enough people left to grow crops to feed the living, as a result malnutrition made survivors more susceptible to disease. In large centers of highland, like Mexico and Peru, many millions of people died. In smaller Caribbean Islands, the native population died out completely. Many historians believe that new diseases introduced after Columbus's killed off as much is 90% or more of the indigenous of the Americas This loss is considered among one of the largest demographic disasters in human history. The flow of diseases did not only affect the New World, even though the Americas got the worst of it, it also affected the Old World. Common Old World diseases included:
Syphilis had the most severe effect on Europeans. Syphilis was transmitted through sexual contact and said to have reached the Old World through sailors who often went long periods of time without women. Syphilis soon became an epidemic in Europe and eventually made its way through Russia and Africa as well. |
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