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Epidemics of the 19th century were faced without the medical advances that made 20th-century epidemics much rarer and less lethal. Micro-organisms (viruses and bacteria) had been discovered in the 18th century, but it was not until the late 19th century that the experiments of Lazzaro Spallanzani and Louis Pasteur disproved spontaneous generation conclusively, allowing germ theory and Robert ...
While working on plantations in the Southern United States, many slaves faced serious health problems. Improper nutrition, the unsanitary living conditions, and excessive labor made them more susceptible to diseases than their owners; the death rates among the slaves were significantly higher due to diseases.
The cause of malaria was unknown until August 20, 1897. Colonial physicians attributed it to "miasma" or bad air. [25] In reality this disease is a parasite that is found in certain species of mosquitoes, which bred more rapidly as virgin soil was broken in the Carolina lowlands for rice cultivation. [26]
The leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States is heart disease. [34] In Canada, heart disease is the second leading cause of death. In 2014, it was the cause of death for 51,000 people. [35] In Australia, heart disease is also the leading cause of death. 29% of deaths in 2015, had an underlying cause of heart disease. [36]
The Columbian exchange, also known as the Columbian interchange, was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the New World (the Americas) in the Western Hemisphere, and the Old World (Afro-Eurasia) in the Eastern Hemisphere, from the late 15th century on.
The germ theory of disease proposes that invisible microorganisms (bacteria and viruses) are the cause of particular illnesses in both humans and animals. [2] Prior to medicine becoming hard science, there were many philosophical theories about how disease originated and was transmitted.
The American era of limited infectious disease ended with the arrival of Europeans in the Americas and the Columbian exchange of microorganisms, including those that cause human diseases. European infections and epidemics had major effects on Native American life in the colonial period and nineteenth century, especially.
Disease was another leading cause of death, with rats and fleas being the common carriers of disease, specifically plagues, during this era. [9] The Black Death was a plague that affected much of the world, originating in Asia and spreading to Europe through diseased fleas and rats. This epidemic has been reported to have been the cause of ...