The Decimating Effects of Infectious Disease in the New...

The Decimating Effects of Infectious Disease in the New World It is often said that in the centuries after Columbus landed in the New World on 12 October, 1492, more native North Americans died each year from infectious diseases brought by the European settlers than were born. (6) The decimation of people indigenous to the Americas by diseases introduced by European invaders is unprecedented. While it is difficult to accurately determine the population of the pre-Columbian Americas, scholars estimate the number to have been between 40 and 50 million people. The population in Mexico alone in 1519 is believed to have been approximately 30 million. By 1568, that number was down to 3 million inhabitants. Although there†¦show more content†¦However, tracing epidemiology in the 15th century is difficult because so little was done to identify and classify diseases and their symptoms during this time period. One might say that the New World was ripe for the onslaught of hitherto unknown diseases due to several demographic shifts prior to 1492. These are parallel to shifts that occurred in Europe such as the creation of large urban areas. Since city planning wasnt what it is today, cities were overcrowded, sewers were nonexistent or inefficient, and disease carrying vermin multiplied. This created a welcome mat for infectious disease in addition to the general uncleanliness of the population and the great number of transient people such as soldiers, students, thieves and the mentally ill. Another factor leading to the assault of disease on medieval Europe was the domestication of large mammals. These animals were the origins of some of the most cursed afflictions of the time. Smallpox is a derivative of cowpox, measles of canine distemper, and influenza of hog diseases. At first, neither young or old were spared. After generations, susceptible individuals were eliminated and resistant survivors dominated the gene pool. Diseases went from epidemics to childhood ills. (6) It was in this form that diseases were carried to the New World by unsuspecting conquistadors, to a population that had experienced its own shifts to largely urban andShow MoreRelatedSience23554 Words   |  95 PagesEnvironmental Issues Webquest Global Warming and the Greenhouse Effect Go to http://www.globalissues.org/article/233/climate-change-and-global-warming-introduction and answer the following questions. 1. What is the greenhouse effect? 2. How does it relate to climate change? 3. Draw and label the greenhouse effect. 4. Scroll down to the section â€Å"The Greenhouse Effect is Natural. What do we have to do with it?† What are some ways that humans are thought

Night by Elie Wisel and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck...

Night by Elie Wisel and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck are both books that have differences and similarities in the relationships of their main characters. These characters are Elie and his father, which are two Jews trapped in a concentration camp for the book Night. The other book Of Mice and Men includes two other characters, who are Lennie and George. These two characters have very close friendship, and take care of each other. These two relationships differ and coincide, in how they treat each other, and in how they care for one another even when they don’t have to. The relationships of the characters in both books are both fairly close, but still face many hardships along the way. As in all books the characters have a†¦show more content†¦A quotation from this novel of this is when Slim said â€Å"You had to George, I swear you had to† just after the murder place. The quote relates to the relationship of Elie and his father by showing how they both felt the same burden about others. Lastly, another similarity between the relationships is how close they are throughout the novels. For example, one way is as mentioned earlier, they care for each other by feeling remorse when something happens to them such as in Night or when they do something that might put them in danger or make them ill. An example is when George says â€Å"Lennie for God’ sakes don’t drink so much.†This relates to Elie and his father by showing us how they cared for each other’s health. All of this shows that even if characters are from different novels there are still many qualities in their relationships that coincide. The relationship between Elie and his father, and the relationship between George and Lennie differed in many aspects. One example, of this is that George and Lennie from the novel Of Mice and Men had a relationship of â€Å"tough love† even though they cared for each other, compared to Elie and his father which still loved each other but were not so harsh on each other. For instance, George always would say â€Å"I would be better off without you Lennie.† Even though he was tough on him George still cared for him. This quote relates to Elie and his dad because it explains how this made their relationships differ. On the other

Grapes Of Wrath By Steinbeck (974 words) Essay Example For Students

Grapes Of Wrath By Steinbeck (974 words) Essay Grapes Of Wrath By SteinbeckJohn Steinbeck shows the readers many themes in The Grapes of Wrath. One of the most apparent is as Steinbeck stated, The Joads passage througha process of education for the heart. Many characters in The Grapesor Wrath exhibit this theme, but it is valiantly apparent in the actionsof the Joads as a family, Tom, Casy, and Rose of Sharon. Although each person inthe Joad family is a separate individual, the family often acts as thought itwere one person. As one might expect the experiences they incur change thefamily personality. At the end of the book the Joads have lost their familyidentity, but theyve replaced it with something equally worthy: theyve foundkinship with other migrant families. The Joads merge with the Wainwrights andthe Wilsons, because each family needed the other and the fragmented familybecomes whole again. The members dont share last names, but they give supportto each other in the form of food, blankets, a kind word, medicine, advice, andeven love. As Casy says, nobody has an individual soul, but everybodysjust got a piece of a gre at big soul. By opening their hearts the Joadstransformed into members of the universal family. Rose of Sharon, the eighteenyear old daughter goes through a miraculous transformation of the heart as thejourney progresses. When the Joads first begin their torrid journey Connie,Roses husband, and Rose set themselves apart from the mundane matters thatoccupy the rest of the family. They focus solely on the baby and dwell in thefuture instead of the present. They dream of the house theyll buy for the babyin California, about the car theyll drive, and about Connies schooling andjob. When the going gets tough, Connie abandons his young wife, which may havebeen the turning point in Roses life. As time the birth approaches, Rose ofSharon does a surprising thing for someone in her delicate state, as she insistson picking cotton with the rest of her family. After a few days the baby is borndead and she seems relieved to know that she wont have to raise a child inawesome poverty. Suffering thr ough childbirth has perhaps opened her eyes. We will write a custom essay on Grapes Of Wrath By Steinbeck (974 words) specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Throughout the book we have seen her concerned almost exclusively with herselfand her problems. Now she looks out at the world and turns completely about. Inan act of extreme charity, she suckles a dying man with the milk of humankindness. Rose of Sharon discovers that everybody must be treated as family ifthey are to endure. Its a message of love, which Rose of Sharon powerfullydramatizes for us in a barn. Jim Casy, one of the three most importantcharacters in the Grapes of Wrath only appears in about one third of the book,yet we rarely forget him. Although Casy was never a Joad, even Tom had statedhes close enough to be a Joad. Casy, a former preacher, retreats from organizedreligion because hypocrisy and a weakness for women have forced him to reexaminehis beliefs. He no longer believes in the individual, but strongly believes thatall men got one big soul everybodys a part of. In Hooverville, Casyat last gets his chance to practice what he has started to preach. Tom trips thedeput y sheriff who wants to arrest Floyd, an innocent man. Casy joins the frayand knocks the man out with a kick to the neck. When the sheriff returns to haulTom to jail, Casy volunteers to go in Toms place: Somebody got to takethe blame an I aint doin nothin but set aroun. Months later we runinto Casy again. Out of jail, he has begun to organize the workers, and in fact,he leads the strike at Hooper Ranch. He has translated his love for people intoan effort to show them that their strength lies in collective action. Casydevotes his life to the union movement, and later gives it. In effect, Casysacrifices himself so that others may be better off. Tom Joad, the mostimportant character in the Grapes of Wrath, is an individual whorealizes the importance of having a heart. Tom has a quick temper, he killed aman in a drunken brawl, speaks harshly to the truck driver who gives him a lift;scolds the one-eyed man for feeling self-pity; and tells off the fat man whoruns the filling station. Tom d oesnt despise each man, but only because eachfeels defeated by lifes hardships. Tom gives them all a brutally frank peptalk, as though he wants to get them moving again. Tom cant just throw up hishands and walk away from problems, and he doesnt want to see others do thateither. As the Joads wander around California, Tom meets more good people whokeep up the increasingly difficult struggle to live a decent life. From then on,Tom follows in Casys footsteps. His concerns extend beyond himself and hisfamily. They now include all downtrodden people. He feels a calling to help inany way he can. Casys violent death probably hastens Toms decision to work forthe welfare of all poor people. As he says to Ma just before he leaves thefamily forever, Ill be aroun in the dark, Ill be everwherewhereveryou look. Wherever theys a fight so hungry people can eat, Ill be there. .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344 , .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344 .postImageUrl , .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344 , .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344:hover , .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344:visited , .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344:active { border:0!important; } .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344:active , .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344 .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0b3fdbfc79890b54d17854e6afdfe344:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Herrick: Delight In Disorder Shows Delight In Life EssayWherever theys a cop beatin up a guy, Ill be there. Tom may end updead, like Casy, but there is no doubt that hell go down swinging. When we lookat the theme of the education of the heart we can realize that these charactersdidnt start the journey with the belief that their a part of a great big soul. We can see and realize the gradual yet dramatic transformation of these threecharacters. Casy lives and dies for others, and at the end Tom will walk inCasys footsteps. Rose of Sharon soon after follows as she offers her milk to astranger, she wears an enigmatic smile, suggesting that she, too, has discoveredthe joy that comes from opening the heart.