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re: Why is it that Europeans brought diseases to the new world but didn't catch any?

Posted on 3/29/17 at 11:54 am to
Posted by TheCaterpillar
Member since Jan 2004
76774 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 11:54 am to
quote:

its still hilarious to me that NYC was sold for some glass beads and trinkets.



Louisiana Purchase was $15 million for 828,000 sq miles and one of the largest and most profitable rivers on Earth.


ETA:

Like $240 million in current money. An absolute fricking steal.


This post was edited on 3/29/17 at 11:55 am
Posted by AUCE05
Member since Dec 2009
45421 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 11:55 am to
They did. Just at a lower rate. The early settlements, including Jamestown were plagued by disease.
This post was edited on 3/29/17 at 11:55 am
Posted by SlowFlowPro
With populists, expect populism
Member since Jan 2004
481186 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 11:55 am to
quote:

Why is it that Europeans brought diseases to the new world but didn't catch any?

have you ever heard of the Plague, boy?
Posted by upgrayedd
Lifting at Tobin's house
Member since Mar 2013
139225 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 11:55 am to
Posted by Jim Rockford
Member since May 2011
106060 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 11:56 am to
quote:

Ahh thanks didn't know that but ibwas mainly talking about deadly diseases


Syphillis was a horrific, terrifying disease when it first hit Europe. It had some of the same effects on the Europeans that the new diseases had on the Indians. Over time it mutated into a less virulent form, but it was a dread ailment.

One of the things it would do is rot your face

Posted by TheCaterpillar
Member since Jan 2004
76774 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 11:57 am to
quote:


One of the things it would do is rot your face



And make you go insane...before eventually killing you.
Posted by TheCaterpillar
Member since Jan 2004
76774 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 11:58 am to
quote:

have you ever heard of the Plague, boy?



Always thought this came from China? Black rats on ships...
Posted by GetCocky11
Calgary, AB
Member since Oct 2012
53509 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 11:59 am to
quote:

The short answer is that Europeans simply had more robust immune systems. Several factors contributed to this: first, Europeans had been the caretakers of domestic animals for thousands of years, and had over time grown (somewhat) immune to the common diseases that accompanied the domestication of such food sources. Native Americans, on the other hand, were largely hunters and gatherers, and even in some domestication cases, it’s thought exposure was limited.

Second, Europeans lived in more densely populated areas than Native Americans. When so many humans live together in relatively close quarters (particularly with lack of good, or any, sewage systems and the like), disease spreads quickly with the general population continually getting exposed to numerous pathogens. The Europeans’ bodies had to adapt to dealing with many of those diseases, and for those who survived, their immune systems thrived as a result.

The third factor is travel and exchange. Groups of people and animals moved around a lot in Europe and had interactions particularly through war and trade, resulting in the spread of disease across continents—and, eventually, some level of immunity for the survivors.


LINK.
Posted by StrongBackWeakMind
Member since May 2014
22650 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 11:59 am to
quote:

Black rats on ships...

:herewegogif:
This post was edited on 3/29/17 at 12:00 pm
Posted by TheCaterpillar
Member since Jan 2004
76774 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 12:00 pm to
Posted by Sasquatch Smash
Member since Nov 2007
25961 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 12:01 pm to
quote:

The short answer is that Europeans simply had more robust immune systems. Several factors contributed to this: first, Europeans had been the caretakers of domestic animals for thousands of years, and had over time grown (somewhat) immune to the common diseases that accompanied the domestication of such food sources. Native Americans, on the other hand, were largely hunters and gatherers, and even in some domestication cases, it’s thought exposure was limited.

Second, Europeans lived in more densely populated areas than Native Americans. When so many humans live together in relatively close quarters (particularly with lack of good, or any, sewage systems and the like), disease spreads quickly with the general population continually getting exposed to numerous pathogens. The Europeans’ bodies had to adapt to dealing with many of those diseases, and for those who survived, their immune systems thrived as a result.


And, with that or due to that, Europeans and other Old World groups had something like 15 or so antibody configurations(?) while the Native Americans had like 4. (I don't recall exactly what I'm talking about, but it's the immune systems ability to attack novel pathogens. Maybe types of sites that are found on a white blood cell? Any help would be appreciated.)

Also, some estimates people have out now suggest that the Native populations were much larger than we grew up being taught. It's quite possible that Europeans didn't encounter many aboriginal diseases in the New World because the original carriers were already dead/depleted by the time the explorers got to those areas.

The population numbers and some talk about the immune system can be found in the book "1491." Native Americans had much better hygiene than Europeans and were usually in better health and body condition too.
Posted by East Coast Band
Member since Nov 2010
66992 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 12:02 pm to
Didn't Roanoke Island get wiped out because of disease?
Posted by TheCaterpillar
Member since Jan 2004
76774 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 12:03 pm to
Native Americans are more prone to alcoholism and drug addiction too, even today.

Posted by joshnorris14
Florida
Member since Jan 2009
47448 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 12:04 pm to
This is likely to do thousands of years of alcohol consumption by Europeans.
Posted by TheCaterpillar
Member since Jan 2004
76774 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 12:05 pm to
quote:

This is likely to do thousands of years of alcohol consumption by Europeans.



Correct.

Whitey evolved to handle it better.
Posted by Sasquatch Smash
Member since Nov 2007
25961 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 12:05 pm to
quote:

Over time it mutated into a less virulent form


Evolution at work! Can't keep spreading your genes if you keep rapidly killing and deforming your hosts.
Posted by Jimmy2shoes
The South
Member since Mar 2014
11004 posts
Posted on 3/29/17 at 12:07 pm to
Them dirty Euros spread it..they don't catch it
Posted by stniaSxuaeG
Member since Apr 2014
1616 posts
Posted on 3/30/17 at 12:58 pm to
quote:

Ahh thanks didn't know that but ibwas mainly talking about deadly diseases
Syphilis was a deadly disease prior to the discovery of penicillin.
Posted by lsucoonass
shreveport and east texas
Member since Nov 2003
70129 posts
Posted on 3/30/17 at 12:58 pm to
pretty sure we caught some form of std's from them

while we gave them the cold and measles and such
Posted by rintintin
Life is Life
Member since Nov 2008
17102 posts
Posted on 3/30/17 at 1:01 pm to
quote:

The population numbers and some talk about the immune system can be found in the book "1491." 


great book, and dispels alot of misconceptions about the "New World".

But for real. People think the Europeans came over here looking at the Natives as savages, but the Natives were probably more disgusted by the terribly unhygienic and disease filled Europeans.
This post was edited on 3/30/17 at 1:04 pm
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