I’m talking about prior to Euroean colonization of North America . . . I know that diseases such as small pox dessimated native populations. But dddddid Europeans also introduce colds and flu viruses, or did those already universally exist throughout the world?
I don*t know about colds, but it is my understanding that influenza was one of the diseases that killed many Native Americans in epidemics after 1492.
And it’s funny but pertinent, did Montezuma get Montezuma’s revenge?
Like… E. Coli food poisoning? I’d guess he did, but I’m pretty sure we do not have accurate records for when, if ever, did Montezuma have the runs.
Damn, if only the Catholic priests hadn’t burned all those codices!
I’ve read that the Japanese invented papers for blowing your nose. I assume this was before European contact. I’d be very surprised if colds, flu and dysentry did not exist outside of Europe before 1492.
I have a book on plants of the Great Plains which lists a bunch of botanical remedies used by Native Americans for all sorts of things including various infections. While they were spared some bugs rampant among the Euros, they weren’t pathogen-free either.
The Native Americans carried a spectacular strain of syphillis
- it caused a lot of bother when it got to Europe
Has it been reliably determined that it wasn’t the other way around? I’ve heard both versions.
Influenza virus came from China. Outside Eurasia.
What actually killed the natives of America was zombiism.
I thought China was part of Eurasia? Or did you mean Europe?
I think AK84 might have meant “The flu originated in China. These diseases didn’t exist outside of Eurasia.” Which makes sense in context.