Germs And Pathogens Essay

1447 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The impact of colonialism

What has shaped the modern world more: gunpowder and cold steel or germs and pathogens?

The modern world has seen a huge change to the whole world arguably more so than ever in human history due to mass social, economic and technological reforms/progress, but what has had the most affect. It comes down to the huge technological leaps forward that resulted in gunpowder and cold steel, and the spread of germs and pathogens caused by the connection of civilisations. To start with we must look at how both started to effect the world.

Germs and pathogens have, obviously, been effecting the world seen the beginning of life however they had effected the modern world more than ever before, but why? Well germs started to affect wars more than before …show more content…

The invention of gun powder gave the western powers a huge advantage in warfare as it gave them cannons which led to greater naval power and, while it didn’t give them a big advantage, led to them have land army domination as well. This allowed the era of colonialism which saw the huge changes to the global scene. So both gunpowder and germs shaped the modern world, but which one had the most …show more content…

While germs and pathogens shaped the modern world more than gunpowder or steel, it didn’t shape it more than both gunpowder and steel. This is because even though germs resulted in a huge power shift due to it resulting in the domination of the Americas and help in wars in Asia it doesn’t come close to the massive shift in military power that gunpowder and cold steel created. Another reason germ didn’t shape the as much is because it is arguable that the control of North America would have happened anyway because of the technological difference would have been too much for the Native Americans to fight; after all, quite a few countries tried to modernise to stop the west and failed, China, and only a few succeed, Siam. So it while plagues did shape the modern world they didn’t to the extent that gunpowder and cold steel

Show More
Related

  • Deadly Companions: How Microbes Shaped Our History

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    In her book, Dorothy Crawford gives biographies of the history of microbes which have brought humans diseases on a large scale. These include epidemics like yellow fever, tuberculosis, smallpox, acute respiratory syndrome, bubonic plague, syphilis HIV, the Black Death, malaria and cholera. It is worth to point out that her work is up to date because most of these microbes are still with us in this era. Crawford uses the historical bibliography of humans experience with microbes to show a fact that microbes shaped our culture through infection, disease, and pandemic. At the same time, the ever changing human culture has also largely influenced the evolutionary nature of microbes.

    Read More

  • The Role of Disease in European Exploration and Colonization

    1892 Words  | 4 Pages

    Before discussing how disease has shaped history and altered cultures, it is important to understand how they themselves have developed and changed throughout history. Disease, in the broadest definition of the word, has been present since the beginning of humanity. Even ...

    Read More

  • Plagues And Peoples Chapter Summary

    1646 Words  | 4 Pages

    William H. McNeill makes a monumental contribution to the knowledge of humanity in his book Plagues and Peoples. He looks at the history of the world from an ecological point of view. From this viewpoint the history of human civilization is greatly impacted by changing patterns of epidemic infection. Plagues and Peoples suggests that "the time scale of world history...should [be] viewed [through] the "domestication" of epidemic disease that occurred between 1300 and 1700" (page 232). "Domestication" is perceived "as a fundamental breakthrough, directly resulting from the two great transportation revolutions of that age - one by land, initiated by the Mongols, and one by sea, initiated by Europeans" (page 232). This book illustrates how man's environment and its resident diseases have controlled human migration, as well as societal successes and failures. McNeill discusses the political, demographical, and psychological effects of disease on the human race. He informs his audience that epidemics are still a viable threat to society, and warns of potential future consequences.

    Read More

  • Was Disease a key factor

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    Microbes from Europe introduced new diseases and produced devastating epidemics that swept through the native populations (Nichols 2008). The result from the diseases brought over, such as smallpox, was a demographic catastrophe that killed millions of people, weakened existing societies, and greatly aided the Spanish and Portuguese in their rapid and devastating conquest of the existing American empires (Brinkley 2014). Interaction took place with the arrival of whites and foreigners. The first and perhaps most profound result of this exchange was the imp...

    Read More

  • Technological Advancements of World War !

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    Advancements in technology and science contributed to one of the most gory and bloodiest wars in the annals of human existence. These new technological advancements revolutionized how people regarded war. War was no longer where the opposite forces fought in a coordinated battle. War evolved into a game of cunning strategy where the side with the bigger, more powerful, and smarter toys played better. This led to a fierce competition where each side tried to create the smarter machines and better weapons, leading to deadly mass killing weapons in the process.

    Read More

  • Hygiene Hypothesis Essay

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    Of these three, the one I will be focused on is the hygiene hypothesis. The hygiene hypothesis, essentially says we are too clean for our own good! But wait is that possible? The belief is with little to no contact with infectious entities the body can mistake common food proteins as an invading germ or germ that the body recognizes as a threat. I believe that the theory, Hygiene hypothesis is most plausible because it makes the most sense. Here is why I believe that statement. In the last 20 years hygiene in the Western world has become increasingly more popular and widespread. If we think back to the time of our parents and grandparents there were still allergies but much less. Kids would run around in bare feet ate mud and got dirty. On top of this they would not put much thought into washing hands or take a shower every day, hence there was more time for the body to decipher what is bad and what is good. In our day now everybody and their uncle have allergies if you think back to the nineties and two thousand's there was a lot of talk about being extremely or you will be sick. So we made sure to wash our face and hands after

    Read More

  • Positive and Negative Results of The Black Plague

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    It cannot be argued that the Black Plague was detrimental to every aspect of Europe’s communities. It was a powerful epidemic that wiped out a third of the continent’s population. Out of the midst of all its terror, however, positive after effects presented themselves. Some of these effects included revolutions in the church and society, eventually leading to the separation of church and state. Feudalism was also challenged as peasants demanded wages and revolted. Along with social changes came technological innovations, new inventions, and an attention to hygiene and the beginning of modern medicine. The plague may have devastated Europe, but it also gave way to a new era.

    Read More

  • The Purpose Of Vaccination: The Purpose Of Vaccines

    1980 Words  | 4 Pages

    Illness has been a major part of humankind’s lives almost since the beginning of time. Throughout history, illnesses caused fatal epidemics that caused deaths between young and old, and brought fear upon all for the absence of a cure. Having an illness throughout most of history was considered an inevitable death sentence, as the majority of causes of death (Offit). Vaccinations have been experimented in China and Turkey in the 15th century, with methods such as inhaling or rubbing grounded up smallpox scabs against open cuts (Clem). Then in 1700s, the first form of modern vaccination was invented by Edward Jenner with the cowpox virus acting against smallpox, giving immunity against it (Offit).

    Read More

  • Emerging Infectious Disease Essay

    2596 Words  | 6 Pages

    Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDS) are a disease of infectious origin whose incidence in humans has increased within the recent past threatens to increase in the near future. Over 30 new infectious agents have been detected worldwide in the last three decades; 60% of these are of zoonotic origin, and more than 2-3rds of these have originated in the wildlife (Dikid et al., 2013).

    Read More

  • Gunpowder Changed the World

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before 850 A.D, the most advanced achievements in weaponry and technology included the sword and shield. Chinese alchemists however, would change the world forever through their invention. In an early strive to find an elixir that sustained life, Chinese alchemists mixed sulfur and charcoal creating what is known as salt-pepper. When burned it was said that "smoke and flames result, so that the scientists' hands and faces have been burnt, and even the whole house where they were working burned down" (Whipps). This invention was later known as gunpowder, a creation that would revolutionize and create a new world. The effects that the creation of gunpowder in 850 A.D had on the world can be shown through the advancements in weaponry, technology, and the impact on culture.

    Read More

  • The Disease Yellow Fever

    607 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout history many different diseases have infected the world. Such diseases consist of measles, mumps, malaria, typhus and yellow fever. Many of these diseases are caused by different things and originated in different countries.

    Read More

  • The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Warfare

    1359 Words  | 3 Pages

    The products of the Industrial Revolution made World War I a war like no other. The Industrial Age brought with it the development of the railroad, a huge factor in the area of transportation of soldiers and supplies. The Revolution also brought changes in warfare at sea. Instead of ships made of wood, iron and steel were the new materials of choice. The products of the Industrial Revolution that had the most impact on the war were by far the weapons created by the new machines and materials of the revolution. The book, Warfare in the Twentieth Century, states that "industrialization dramatically increased the destructive capacity of armies by providing them with weapons of enhanced range, accuracy, and fire..." (3). The weapons of World War I are a perfect example of how reason and progress are not always without consequence; they can sometimes bring about horrible suffering and pain.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Asia And Industrial Revolutions

    1319 Words  | 3 Pages

    Scientific, medical, and mathematical advances have changed the world; without them the human race would be very different. Inventions have shaped the world that is known today. In Asia and Europe these developments have been very prominent since 1648. Each continent has several similarities and differences between their innovations. Both continents had similar use of electricity, created victims, and innovated mathematics. The main differences consist of the use of steam, the lack of industrial revolutions in Asia, and the differences in medicine. These differences and similarities in the advancements in Europe and Asia have improved the standard of living for most; however, there are drawbacks to them.

    Read More

  • How Do Infections Affect The Population

    475 Words  | 1 Pages

    Like stated before the infections are still dangerous but have really no effect on the population anymore, because of medicine. In 2004 almost all deaths in the world were counted for as infection deaths. The growth sky rocketed, and took the population down by almost 12 percent.

    Read More

  • Paradigm Shift Essay

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    Industrial revolution is also a well-known paradigm shift because it introduces many new scientific and social progresses. At the same time this paradigm shift brings humans convenience, it comes with some drawbacks, too. A large amount of fossil fuels and forests have been used; this produces a lot greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide. Data from Earth Policy Institute also indicates that every ten years are approximately 0.28 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the previous ten years since 1970. From 1880 to 2012, the global temperature has raised roughly 1.53 degrees Fahrenheit. It seems that these numbers are small, but the high-carbon society has already resulted in climate and resource issues. Ice and glaciers are melting all over the world, which lead sea level to rise rapidly. Floods and droughts will become frequent and some plant or animal species will die out due to natural hazards, such as polar bears. Mosquitoes are more likely to spread diseases because of the humid weather. Weird weather also influences crop harvests. For example, the poor harvest of barley r...

    Read More

More about Germs And Pathogens Essay

Open Document