Black Death. See bubonic plague
black population, tuberculosis in, 236
blood-borne venereal diseases, 149-150
Boccaccio, Giovanni, 220
body fluids, transfer of, 38
Boer War, 125
bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). See mad cow disease
brains, ritual eating of, 97
Britain
coffee leaf rust, 111-112
Great Plague of 1665, 189-190, 223
mad cow disease, 99-102
mainland epidemics and, 205
Victorian-era prostitution statistics, 142
Browning, Angela, 102
Brucella, 134
brucellosis, 87, 134
BSE (bovine spongiform encephalpathy). See mad cow disease
bubonic plague (Black Death), 7
bacterial cause of, 63
as biological warfare, 132, 135
effects
on civilization, 189
on religion, 187-189, 221-223
on Roman Empire, 90-92
on Vikings, 212
end of, 223
Great Plague of 1665, 189-190, 223
Great Plague of Justinian, 86, 90-91, 231
hygiene and, 139
long-term benefits of, 218-219
mortality rates, 53, 219-221
natural disasters, effect on spread of, 246
oscillation of virulence, 43
in Persian invasion of Greece, 124
population collapse from, 232
quarantines during, 40
resistance to, 49
transformation of society by, 255
transmission methods, 29, 39, 216-217
in World War II, 136-137
Buddhism, 186-187
Burkholderia pseudomallei, 134
Byzantines, 89-90
C
Caesar, Julius, 86
calicivirus, 137
cancer, 35
cannibalism, 97-99
Canton ulcers, 146
Capone, Al, 147
Caribbean islands, inital epidemic in, 198, 200
caring for sick, 167, 181-184
carriers of disease, effect on disease virulence, 46-47
Carrion’s disease, 195-196
cat scratch disease, 197
Catholic Church. See also Christianity
effect of bubonic plague on, 187-189, 221, 223
reaction to venereal disease (VD), 154
view on vaccination, 172
cats, leprosy in, 31
cattle, diseases from, 21. See also mad cow disease
Cayapo tribe, 201
CCR5 protein, 158
CCR5Δ32 mutation, 227
CD4 protein, 158
cell culture techniques, 238
cereal crops, fungal diseases and, 104-106
Chagas disease, 8, 195-196
Chang Chiao, 186
changing conditions for emerging diseases, 233
contact between victims/germs, 235-236
human population, 234-235
knowledge, 233
transmission methods, 233-234
chaos of war, spread of disease via, 118
chickenpox, carriers of, 47
chickens, diseases from, 21
childhood diseases, viral diseases as, 214
China
disease knowledge of, 19
drug discovery in, 256
messianic Taoism in, 185-186
origin of influenza, 243
Chinese pox, 146
chlamydia, 145
relationship with trachoma, 148
transmission method, 38
Chlamydia trachomatis, 148
cholera
cystic fibrosis and, 78-81
effect of climate change on, 245
malnutrition and, 110
origin of, 71-72
resistance to, 51
spread of, 72-73, 206
transmission method, 39, 45, 215
water supply and, 72-73
in World War I, 136
Christianity. See also Catholic Church
AIDS. response to, 155-156
caring for the sick, 167
cause of disease, views on, 172-173
Coptic Christianity, 184-185
decline in industrial Europe, 190-191
effect of bubonic plague on, 187-189
Great Plague of 1665, response to, 189-190
indigenous Americans and, 202
rise of, 164, 181-184
cities. See also ancient civilizations
bacterial diseases in, 215
disease transmission, impact on, 56-59
effect of bubonic plague on, 189
population replenishment in, 213-214
viral diseases in, 214-215
vulnerability to waterborne diseases, 76-78
class system, infectious disease and, 69-70
Claviceps purpurea, 106
cleanliness of home, food poisoning and, 96-97. See also hygiene
climate change, 235
during Middle Ages, 217-218
epidemics and, 245-246
Clinton, Bill, 133
cocoliztli, 210
coffee leaf rust, economic impact of, 111-112
colds, transmission method, 38
Confucianism, 186-187
consumption. See tuberculosis
contagious disease. See disease
contaminated food. See food poisoning
contaminated needles, role in AIDS transmission, 153
Coptic Christianity, 184-185
corpses, disposal of, 173-175
Cortez, Hernando, 200, 206
cost associated with biological warfare, 131
Crimean War, 125
crops
failures, effect on infectious disease, 44
fungal diseases and, 104-106
crowds. See also population density
spread of disease via, 116
susceptibility to disease and, 8
Crusades, 124
Cryptosporidium
carriers of, 46
transmission method, 39
cultural resistance to disease, 52
Currie, Edwina, 155
cutting boards, wood versus plastic, 96
Cyprian, plague of, 88
cystic fibrosis, 5, 54, 235
cholera resistance and, 78-81
typhoid fever resistance and, 81
Çatalhöyük, 174
D
dancing mania, fungal diseases and, 107
Darius, 123
Darwin, Charles, 8, 196
Dawkins, Richard, 59
dead bodies, disposal of, 173-175
deaths, causes of, 35. See also mortality rate
deforestation, 85, 236
degenerate rickettsia, 197
dehydration, 5
deliberate violence, 34
dengue fever, 210
diarrhea, 5
carriers of, 46
purpose of, 39
resistance to, 54
diarrheal diseases. See also names of specific diseases
in homosexuals, 157
onions and garlic as cure, 178-179
origin of, 70-71
transmission method, 215
diphtheria
rise in Russia, 236
transmission method, 215
disease. See also epidemics; names of specific diseases
ancient religious practices and, 167-168
causes of, 36-37
class system and, 69-70
classification of, 34-36
effects of
on food supply, 250-251
on large armies, 123-124
emerging diseases
changing conditions for, 233-236
future predictions, 254
transmission methods, 241
tuberculosis, re-emergence of, 236-237
types of, 232-233
viral infection exam
ples, 237-239
virulence of, 239-240
eradication of, 22
exposure of islands to, 205-206
extinction, 49, 51
future predictions, 252-256
genetic engineering of, 139
hunter-gatherer versus agricultural societies, 56-59
immunity, explained, 48
in imperial expansion, 120-122
infectious versus noninfectious, 34-36
in institutional housing, 129-130
malnutrition contributing to, 110-111
mortality rate versus warfare, 115-116, 125-126
opportunistic diseases, 60
origin of, 205
Africa, 13-17
animals, 17-24
positive/negative aspects of, 6-8, 53, 56
as protection against invaders, 1-4, 54, 81-83, 118-122
rate of evolution, 23
religious beliefs about cause of, 171-173, 179-181
resistance
antibiotic resistance, 247-250
cystic fibrosis, cholera resistance and, 78-81
explained, 48-49
extinction of disease and, 49-51
genetic sources of, 4, 6, 9, 53, 56, 227-228
group survival and, 52-53
HIV/AIDS resistance, 158-159
immune system aggressiveness, 228-229
lowered resistance to tuberculosis, 223
milder disease versus, 51-52
poliomyelitis immunity, 225
tropical diseases, 122-123
tuberculosis resistance, 224
rodents’ role in, 29-30
in rural populations, 103-104
spread by military, 116-118
susceptibility to, 50
American Indians, 17-18, 54
factors in, 8-11
technology-borne diseases, 246-247
transmission methods, 37-40
virulence of, 24-28
crowding, effect of, 41-44
Ebolavirus example, 40-41
efficiency of transmission methods and, 242
intentions, lack of role in, 206-207
misconceptions about, 33-34
via mutation, 60-62
oscillation of, 42-44
via plasmids, 63-65
reservoirs and carriers, effect of, 46-47
Spanish flu of 1918, 243-244
vectors, effect of, 44-46
dishrags, sterilization process, 96
distemper, measles and, 26
diversity. See genetic diversity
DNA, mutation, 60
doctors, as secular profession, 191-192
dogs, diseases from, 21, 26
domestic animals
American Indians’ lack of, 18, 197-198
diseases from, 21
Dorrell, Stephen, 102
droplet transmission, 39
drug discovery in China/India, 256
dysentery
malnutrition and, 110
in Persian invasion of Greece, 124
transmission method, 45, 215
E
E. coli, 64, 139, 246
in contaminated food, 94
transmission method, 215
E. coli O157:H7 strain, 64, 94, 234
Eastern Europeans versus Western Europeans, long-term benefits of bubonic plague, 219-221
Ebolavirus, 238
herd resistance to, 53
mortality rate, 53, 239
transmission methods, 241
virulence of, 24, 40-41, 239-240
economic impact
of coffee leaf rust, 111-112
of disease, 90
on sexual morality, 143
Ecuyer, Captain, 203
Edward IV (king of England), 147
efficiency of transmission methods, 242
Egyptian botch, 146
Egyptians
ancient religious beliefs, 170-171
disease in modern Egypt, 69
Eiríkr Thorvaldsson, 211
emerging diseases
changing conditions for, 233
contact between victims/germs, 235-236
human population, 234-235
knowledge, 233
transmission methods, 233-234
future predictions, 254
transmission methods, 241
tuberculosis, re-emergence of, 236-237
types of, 232-233
viral infection examples, 237-239
virulence of, 239-240
endemic disease, malaria as, 84
England. See Britain
enteric bacteria, 63
enteric diseases. See diarrheal diseases
epidemic typhus, 29, 209
epidemics. See also disease
in Caribbean islands, 198-200
climate change and, 245-246
effects of
on human genome, 4-6, 53, 56
on indigenous Americans, 193
on religion, 165-166
future predictions, 252-256
history
of influenza epidemics, 243
in Roman Empire, 86-90
in indigenous Americans after European contact, 200-202
population collapse and, 231-232
positive/negative aspects of, 6-8, 53, 56
technology-borne diseases, 246-247
transmission methods, efficiency of, 242
eradication of smallpox, 22, 215
ergot alkaloids, 106
ergot poisoning, 106-109
Eric the Red, 211
Escherichia coli. See E. coli
European empires, collapse of, 226
Europeans
biological isolation from indigenous Americans, 207-208
climate changes during Middle Ages, 217-218
long-term benefits of bubonic plague, 219-221
origin of typhus, 209-211
evil spirits
as cause of disease, 167
expelling, 177-178
protection from, 178-179
transferring to animals, 175-177
evolution rate of diseases, 23
Ewe tribe of West Africa, 175
expectations, religion and, 165-166
expelling evil spirits, 177-178
extinction of diseases, 49-51
F
Fabiola (saint), 183
famine
disease as result of, 110-111
during Middle Ages, 217-218
fungal diseases and, 109-110
threat of, 250-251
farming industry, consumption of antibiotics, 248
fertility rites, 160
Fiji, measles in, 205
Filiatrault, abbé, 172
fleas, transmission of bubonic plague, 216-217. See also insects
floods, epidemics and, 245
flu. See influenza
food contamination, as transmission method, 39
food poisoning, 39. See also fungal diseases
cannibalism, 97-99
effect of technology on, 246
household hygiene and, 96-97
mad cow disease
in humans, 102-103
origin of, 99-101
political response to, 101-102
prevalence of, 93-95
food processing, 236
food safety regulations, 95
food supply, effect of disease on, 250-251
food-borne disease. See food poisoning
Fore tribe of New Guinea, 97
Francisella tularensis, 134
Franks
effect of disease on, 89
manpower value of, 59
French pox, 146
fungal diseases
cause of, 104-106
coffee leaf rust, economic impact of, 111-112
Irish Potato Famine, 109-110
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