arrow of disease

The Arrow of Disease Many of the greatest tragedies throughout human history have been caused by lethal diseases such as smallpox, flu, tuberculosis, malaria, plague, measles, and cholera. They are all potentially infectious diseases that originated from viruses in animals. When Christopher Columbus and his successors invaded the Americas, the most potent, powerful, and deadly weapon they carried was their germs.
In 1492, the European conquest of the Americas began with Columbus voyage. It was a brutal example of the role and the enormous destructive effect of germs in history. Great amounts of Indians were killed by the diseases brought to the new world by the conquerors. An estimated of 95 percent of the new world Indian population died from those infections. It is ironic that invaders had more advanced and sophisticated technological equipment, such as guns and steel swords; weapons that were more effective than Native Americans’ primitive stone axes and wooden clubs. Natives did not have ships capable of crossing the ocean, or horses to provide them with an advantage at battle either. However, way more Native Americans died in bed than out on the battlefield. In other words, Native Americans were victims of germs and not of guns and swords. Those germs, which later caused fatal diseases, killed the majority of the Indians and their leaders. In this war, the main killers were those European deadly microorganisms, to which the Indians had never been exposed to and therefore, had no immunologic or genetic resistance to. On the other hand, not a single major Native American killer disease reached Europe, with the exception of syphilis whose origin is controversial. There were no significant New World diseases (except maybe syphilis). Even in the Central and South American empires there was not the population density for killer diseases to develop. When a virulent strain did develop, the few persons the carriers came in touch with die and the spread is halted. In a more populous area, the disease can spread to many more people, running for a much longer time, with the all the associated chances of mutating into a more virulent plague or a more benign form.
Finally, if the Spanish had not had their greatest weapon, diseases, on their side, the larger number of Native Americans may have defeated Columbus and the few European invaders. There’s no doubt that Columbus was a great visionary, seaman, and leader. Also no doubt that he and his successors often behaved as bestial murderers. Therefore, Christopher Columbus may have not returned to Europe with news of the new world, leaving someone else to either invade or befriend the Native Americans at some other point in time.