smallpox

28 years after Columbus discovered America, a Native American coup killed two-thirds of the Spanish army and allied forces of different Native American factions, known as a tragic night. Later, while cleaning up the body, the Native Americans discovered that one of the bodies was black and could not be washed away. So word of mouth spread, and everyone in the city came to visit the body, but unfortunately, there was smallpox virus on this body, and it was a classic smallpox virus from Africa. Most human viruses come from the African continent and have strong vitality and infectivity. Europeans conquered the African continent when they discovered America. This black man was exported directly from Africa to the Americas.

Ramses IV, the Egyptian emperor who discovered the earliest smallpox patient.

100 years after the African smallpox virus took root in the Americas, only one tenth of the indigenous people were affected.

Let's review the background before the great voyages in Europe and America.

Just emerging from the Middle Ages, Europe seems to have seen a glimmer of light at the end of darkness. Europe has entered the early stage of the Renaissance, which is the revival and reconstruction of ancient Roman and Greek literature and art.

At the beginning of navigation, the motivation was to search for Eastern spices. Initially, European food was very simple, with only salt and lemon as seasonings. Oriental spices were discovered during ancient Roman travels and voyages. For them, Eastern spices are magical. No matter what you do, just add a little chili or curry and there will be a pleasant excitement. Later on, restaurants couldn't do without spices. After more than 1000 years, medieval Europe not only did not improve their living standards, but also declined, but their demand for Eastern spices did not decrease at all. After the failure of the Crusade, the elegant lifestyle of the East was brought back to Europe, and European nobles during the Renaissance began to enjoy life. There is a high demand for Chinese silk, Indian printed fabrics, Eastern pearls, sandalwood, and spices. As long as they are from the East, they are exquisite and valuable. All these temptations and aspirations for an elegant Eastern lifestyle prompted Europeans to explore the East. However, it is difficult to transport by road, often encountering bandits, and then being monopolized by the Ottoman Türkiye Empire. Europeans began exploring another route to India at sea, but accidentally collided with Mexico in the Americas. But they believe that India was quickly named Native Americans.

The first time Native Americans saw Spanish colonizers

The human diseases in the old world have become homogenized to a certain extent, which means that being infected by the familiar plague at that time has become increasingly common. Over time, physical strength has left an increasingly strong immunity or lifelong immunity such as smallpox. As a result, when smallpox broke out in the Americas, almost no Spaniards were infected.

At that time, the situation in the United States was much simpler. The Aztecs ruled most of Mexico, the Incas expanded in Central America, and the various city states of the Mayan civilization disintegrated, with many tribes of all sizes distributed in different places. Each tribe has its own different religion or belief, which is very primitive. They are collectively referred to as Native Americans.

The spread of smallpox

Indians live in primitive, humid and hot environments, which are very suitable for the spread and growth of pathogens. Moreover, the smallpox virus has never appeared in the United States, and they have no resistance. And it is estimated that there were about 100 million people in the United States at that time, which was already a very high population density. At that time, the United States did not have the current level of social hierarchy and efficient land allocation. They advocate freedom, mostly among the nomadic peoples of North America, which provides great convenience for spreading the incurable plague of smallpox.

In the Old World, smallpox was referred to as a childhood disease because it was usually contracted at a very young age. After recovery, there is basically lifelong immunity, and the mortality rate is not as terrifying as 90% of the Black Death, with a mortality rate of only 30%. Smallpox only spreads from person to person and is immune for life without getting smallpox again. Because there are no infected individuals, smallpox disappears and reappears at regular intervals, but adults already have immunity, so most infected individuals are children.

Chinese acne surgery

More than 1000 years ago, Chinese people invented vaccines to prevent smallpox. At this point, vaccination involves taking a small amount of "acne" from the infected person and diluting it to give the vaccinated person immunity against mild smallpox. The only downside is a 2% mortality rate. Vaccination was improved during the Ming and Qing dynasties, but it was not promoted. It is limited to serving the court. The Qing Emperor did not want his descendants to have smallpox again. It was stipulated that the descendants of the royal family must be vaccinated, but he did not expect to implement it for the benefit of his people. In ancient times, this kind of thing was definitely not an exception. For example, the porcelain of the Qing Dynasty went from high-end products of the Ming Dynasty to counterfeit Japanese porcelain. A large part of the reason is that folk technology has been lost, but the official kiln has retained a certain amount of backup. But at that time, it was stipulated that it could only be used in official kilns and could not be exposed... Later, we will hold a special discussion on porcelain.

Diplomatic envoys from various countries in North Korea introduced vaccination to their own countries and spread it widely. Doctors charge high prices for acne surgery, making saving lives a privilege for the wealthy.

Edward Senna's Vaccination

Later, British doctor Edward Seiner discovered that the cowherd and milkmaid had a bold idea to get vaccinated against smallpox. After 30 years of encouragement and disdainful efforts from his teacher, the cowherd and milkmaid finally replaced smallpox as the lifeline of the people. But this has sparked strong opposition from doctors and the wealthy, who attempt to denigrate cowpox because the wealthy and the church believe that smallpox is God's means of controlling the poor. If smallpox is defeated, the number of poor people will lose control, while doctors believe that cowpox hinders their path to wealth. But this great doctor persevered. The last few European countries stipulate that children must receive free vaccination before starting school.

The doctor said that getting vaccinated will turn you into a cow or a monster.

Let's take a look at data to understand how many lives were saved by Jenner's invention and popularization of cowpox, and how great he was.

In the 20th century, smallpox claimed the lives of 300 million people, with an average of 6 million people per year. Finally, in 1979, smallpox completely disappeared. Now Jenna is buried in Berkeley, England. In the past two hundred years, there have been countless scientific giants in the history of science, but no matter how great their achievements are, they will become extremely humble when facing their tombstones, which read:

"This is the place where the greatest doctor of humanity sleeps. With his wisdom, Jenner has brought health and life to more than half of the world's people."

Currently, only laboratories in the United States and Russia still retain this smallpox virus.

The smallpox is already dead

During the Black Death, we have talked about the Mongol cavalry connecting the Eurasian continent, and the virus that originally existed in one civilized continent spread throughout the entire Eurasian continent. During this period, Europeans' longing for the East brought them to another unknown continent and brought them smallpox. Americans also pay tribute to yellow fever. Today's syphilis has also been brought from geographical discoveries to the Old World, but it is unclear whether it is America or Africa. The expansion of human habitats will inevitably bring some new pathogens or bacteria, causing certain damage to the local ecology. Even without smallpox, there may be other diseases with any other names or symptoms.

After the great geographical discovery, the whole world quickly merged into one. With the help of human technology, viruses can reach any corner of the world. But at that time, healthcare did not keep up with the pace of expansion and was still in an enlightening state. It was not until the end of the 14th century that a non-medical health system, such as isolation, emerged. Washington died in 1799 through bloodletting therapy, while traditional Chinese medicine remains the most advanced medicine in the world. The Middle Ages in Europe have just passed, but the dark ages of other civilizations have arrived in the eyes of the world.

For pathogens, this new environment, outdated medicine, and the enormous pollution brought about by the industrial revolution are just the time to show their skills. At this point, a massive epidemic seemed inevitable