1. In the Paleolithic Age (before the Neolithic or agricultural revolution), what kinds of diseases did hunter-gatherers tend to suffer from? What diseases were largely absent among hunter-gatherers? Why? During the Paleolithic Age there were two primary sources for disease causing illnesses. The first category of disease was altered to the primate man-like lineages and continued the evolution process into the human relatives or humans. This type of disease pathogens included lice, yaws, pinworms, and perhaps malaria. Quite possibly microbial infections like salmonella, typhi, and staphylococcus were also among the diseases that infected the people. The diseases that were included in the second category were zoonotic. Some illnesses that …show more content…
The revolution brought novel diseases that were unknown to the people. The organisms in the diseases were altered as a result and made them even more dangerous to the people because they did not have any type of immunity to the diseases. An illness that morphed once it was brought into the New World was syphilis. Syphilis began as a sickness caused by a bacterium, but ended up becoming an infection spread through sexual relations and identified as likely causing an endemic. These infections became more harmful and serious due to differing environmental factors. In fact, further issues with disease arose with the overcrowding of the population leading to an escalation in sexual acts which occurred more frequently when people began prostituting themselves as well as some became more promiscuous which likely fueled the transmission of disease. In addition to diseases caused from lack of immunity and illnesses stemming from those passed through sexual contact, other complications occurred due to the economic growth. Some of these changes impacted those living in the city by creating problematic issues such as; how to dispose of urban waste and pollution that contaminated the water resources, as well as air pollution. There were areas that subsisted in scarcity which furthered the probability of viruses being passed around. The viruses that were being passed became epidemics, some of these illnesses for example were measles, and typhoid, diphtheria, and small pox were among those well-known. Other diseases that more serious in nature were those caused by over populating living spaces and possibly through rough conditions caused in their employment environments some of these included tuberculosis and pneumonia. Another major problem occurred with the death rates versus birth rates for people dwelling in the urban areas. This generated a concern which could only be
Human mobility, in terms of European transcontinental exploration and colonization, began to truly flourish after the 1400s. This travel, inspired by financial motives and justified by religious goals, resulted in the European dominance and decimation of countless cultures in both the Americas and Eurasia. While at first glance it seems as though this dominance was achieved through mainly military means - European militias, like Spanish conquistadors, rolling over native tribes with their technologically advanced weapons - the reality is significantly more complex. The Europeans, most likely unknowingly, employed another, equally deadly weapon during their exploits. With their travel, they brought with them the infectious diseases of their homelands, exposing the defenseless natives to foreign malady that their bodies had no hope of developing immunities against. Because of the nature of disease and their limited knowledge about its modes of infection, the Europeans were able to dispense highly contagious and mortal illnesses while limiting their contraction of any native ones to the new territories. In short, they were able to kill without being killed. In this way, the travel of disease in conjunction with the travel of humans in a search for exotic commodities was able to limit or even halt the development of some cultures while allowing others to flourish at exponential rates.
“Typhus fever is another disease born of bad sanitation. It is also known as, "jail fever" or "ship fever," because it was so common among men held captive in such putrid surroundings. The disease was highly contagious and usually transmitted through human feces and lice that infested the unclean bodies of the Elizabethans.
The population of Massachusetts and other larger states such as New York or Virginia had a much higher population due to the mass migration of people coming over from Europe. Massachusetts with its large population led to more problems than other places. A major problem that occurred was illnesses and diseases. These sicknesses were easily spread throughout the large settlements because of the large number of people living so close in one particular area. People spread these illnesses and diseases when they would go to the store, the post office, church, or any other location. Where ever they would go, they would spread their illnesses to a large amount of people, and those people would spread it to others, and so on because of the numerous amounts of contact between people. Eventually, the entire population would get this illness. In comparison to smaller areas, like the outskirts of towns and rural areas, that would have less human interactions which would help prevent the il...
The outburst spread of diseases in a population causes people to panic and become hopeless. The main reason diseases spread is due to unsanitary living styles. Also when a disease first begins, it is really hard to find a cure right away. A very deadly, infectious disease known as Typhus spread during the Holocaust. Typhus is caused by rickettsia and is spread by lice and flees.
The main objectives of the pathogen are to gain entry inside the host, once inside grow and reproduce, and avoid host defenses. There are three possible routes of infection: respiratory, alimentary, and traumatic. The respiratory route is the easiest and most direct means of entry. Under crowded conditions, the rate of infection is even more rapid. The diseases brought over to America were mainly spread by the respiratory method. The alimentary pathway of infection is through the ingestion of contaminated food and water. Throughout Europe during the 15th century, food and water were contaminated with fecal matter and by unsanitary habits ( i.e. the lack of bathing). The traumatic route of infection is through insect and animal bites.
The main diseases that showed the most virulence during the time were cholera, yellow fever and consumption now known as tuberculosis. The 9th census mortality data showed that 1 out 7 deaths from disease were caused by tuberculosis and 1 out of 24 disease deaths were resulting from cholera. . Until the 1870s...
The filth of the cities promoted the spread of disease faster than doctors could discover a cure. This encouraged large outbreaks of many deadly diseases. And it is said that throughout this period there were people who went about the cities and towns with wagons calling "Bring out your dead!" in a fashion similar to that of the Medieval era during the bubonic plague (Which, by the way, was not yet a dead disease).
By the 1840’s high rates of disease were ascribed to the housing many of New York’s poverty-stricken immigrants lived in. Fear spread that while disease was rooted in the polluted living conditions of New York’s poorer communities, disease could easily spread to the more well off citizens too. Public health officials realized that the city’s soiled streets and polluted sewers were a health risk to all New Yorkers. In the mid-nineteenth century, New York possessed a primitive sewage system. Poorly planned sewers spanned the city, but most citizens’ homes did not connect to these pipes. Instead, most New Yorkers relied on outdoor outhouses and privies. Because of the high levels of unmanaged waste, epidemics of infectious diseases were commonplace in New York. The city battled outbreaks of smallpox, typhoid, malaria, yellow fever, cholera, and tuberculosis. In 1849, a rash of cholera struck the city, killing more than five thousand people. A wave of typhoid in the mid-1860’s resulted in a similar amount of deaths. Port cities and transportation hubs, like New York, were especially prone to outbursts of infectious diseases because of the high volume of travelers that passed through the city. Americans realized that they were contracting and dying from infectious diseases at an alarming rate, but weren’t entirely sure of why or how. (Web, par. 17,
Native Americans never came in contact with diseases that developed in the Old World because they were separated from Asia, Africa, and Europe when ocean levels rose following the end of the last Ice Age. Diseases like smallpox, measles, pneumonia, influenza, and malaria were unknown to the Native Americans until the Europeans brought these diseases over time to them. This triggered the largest population decline in all recorded history. Fifty percent of the Native American population had died of disease within twenty years. Soon after, Native Americans began to question their religion and doubted the ability of shamen to heal. This was the first step towards the destruction of Native cultures. The Native Americans had never experienced anything like these deadly diseases before and they came to believe that Europeans had the power to kill or give life.
In fact, according to Atrocities Against Native Americans, they said that the diseases spread because of the Europeans, cleared out an estimated 90% of the Native American population. Being from different areas, you can probably assume that the immunity of the Native Americans is pretty low against pathogens that came from a different area. Most of them got sick from the animals and ended up with diseases such as the whooping cough, scarlet fever, measles, influenza type B & more. If the Europeans never came over to their land, they wouldn't have gotten so
The Paleolithic Age was the earliest period of man. This time period dates back to 15,000 BCE. There are many artifacts from the Paleolithic Age including Lucy (female hominid), Otzi (ice man), and cave art.
While the Europeans were traveling to the New World, they often brought domesticated animals with them for sources of food and livestock. When animals and humans are living in close quarters together, it is very likely for exposure to germs to occur. New diseases were brought over by foreigners looking for fame and gold that killed off many of the natives in the new lands. The natives did not stand a chance against these new threats because of a lack of knowledge and supplies to cure themselves. Once the Europeans established diseases as they made land in the New World, their journey had only become easier as their competition were being wiped out from the rapid spread.
The Columbian exchange was the widespread transfer of various products such as animals, plants, and culture between the Americas and Europe. Though most likely unintentional, the byproduct that had the largest impact from this exchange between the old and new world was communicable diseases. Europeans and other immigrants brought a host of diseases with them to America, which killed as much as ninety percent of the native population. Epidemics ravaged both native and nonnative populations of the new world destroying civilizations. The source of these epidemics were due to low resistance, poor sanitation, and inadequate medical knowledge- “more die of the practitioner than of the natural course of the disease (Duffy).” These diseases of the new world posed a serious
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.
The separation of the Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages mark a great divide in the lives and cultures of prehistoric peoples. Many aspects of everyday life were modified to suit a new standard of living. Society, Economy, and Technology were greatly affected by the "Agricultural Revolution" that spawned the Neolithic Age.