Diseases and Empires (Jarod Diamond)

How much immunity did the people in the Americas have against smallpox?

• Yes

• None

• No

• Total

How does smallpox primarily enter the human body and what are its initial visible symptoms?

• Through skin contact, causing immediate large boils.

• By ingesting contaminated food, leading to internal bleeding.

• By breathing in airborne particles, resulting in a rash with pimples and blisters.

• Through insect bites, causing localized swelling and fever.

Are you enjoying the video lesson?

• Yes

• No

What factor contributed to Europeans' increased resistance to diseases like smallpox compared to Native Americans?

• Superior medical technology and hygiene practices.

• A long history of exposure to and genetic adaptation from diseases originating in domesticated animals.

• Natural immunity developed from living in colder climates.

• A diet rich in specific herbs that boosted their immune systems.

Did Llamas pass diseases to humans? Why or why not.

• Yes because they lived in close proximity to each other.

• Yes because llama milk contained bacteria.

• No because they did not in close proximity to each other.

• No because humans cooked llama meat very well.

Why did Old World diseases, like smallpox, devastate Native American populations upon European arrival?

• Native Americans had weaker immune systems due to their diet.

• They lacked prior exposure and natural immunity to these specific diseases.

• European conquerors intentionally spread the diseases as a weapon.

• The diseases mutated to become more virulent in the New World environment.

What was the primary geographical factor that led to the one-sided exchange of deadly diseases between Europeans and Native Americans?

• The difference in climate zones between Europe and the Americas.

• The uneven distribution and domestication of large farm animals across continents.

• The superior navigation skills of European explorers.

• The presence of different types of insects and vectors in each region.

What % of people in the Americas were killed by old-world diseases like smallpox?

• 20 million

• 95

• 200 million

• 90