title: [Book Sharing] Plagues and Peoples - The Impact of Infectious Diseases on Human History
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date: 2022-12-16 00:00:00 UTC
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canonical_url: http://www.evanlin.com/reading-Plagues-and-Peoples/
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Plagues and Peoples
The Impact of Infectious Diseases on Human History
共 66 人評分 (66 ratings)
Author: William H. McNeill
Translator: Yang Yuling
Publisher: Commonwealth Publishing
#### Book Purchase Recommendation:
- [Readmoo Online Book Purchase](https://moo.im/a/24ipqZ)
# Preface:
This is the twenty-third book I've finished reading this year. I bought this book along with a book about vaccines, but it's actually a book from 1975. It has compiled a lot of information about the impact of plagues and epidemics on human culture after years of research.
# Content Summary:
Humans have achieved space travel, yet cannot escape the threat of infectious diseases.
Globalization has erased the boundaries of disease spread, and communities have deepened their fear.
History constantly proves that political and economic situations can change dramatically overnight, and humanity faces even stricter tests.
Facing the novel coronavirus, SARS, Ebola, influenza virus, H1N1...
Understanding is the best way to deal with fear.
The ferocity of "malaria" turned solemn pilgrimages into breeding grounds for epidemics;
The "cholera" map, facilitated by convenient transportation, is expanding its influence without borders;
The threat of "avian influenza" forces high-density farming practices to face challenges;
The ancestors of primates living in trees were itchy due to fleas and lice; the human ancestors who first set foot on the ground were sick due to the drowsiness of the vast grasslands; the agricultural communities that began farming were weakened by schistosomiasis; economic trade between Europe and Asia caused smallpox to quietly enter new regions with merchant caravans; the Mongol army was unstoppable, spreading the plague across Eurasia; Western empires relied on the unintentional transmission of smallpox to achieve their colonial ambitions; the advancement of transportation brought about by the Industrial Revolution further made the world a melting pot of diseases.
## Chapter 1: The Tracks of Hunting Groups / Chapter 2: The Suffering of the Ancient World
This section starts from the era of primitive humans, where diseases were often transmitted through microorganisms or hunted animals.
After the ancient civilizations, agriculture became a new civilization. However, many plagues and diseases were derived from hygiene habits. For example, the most serious disease at that time was the death factor caused by "schistosomiasis." Even many ancient corpses that were unearthed showed traces of schistosomiasis. It seems that people at that time were plagued by many diseases related to microorganisms and small insects due to poor hygiene habits.
It also mentions that because many diseases at that time were related to parasites. So there was also a saying that because Muslims saw pigs eating everything, they believed that if pork was not handled properly, it would be easy to suffer from parasitic diseases.
## Chapter 3: The Eurasian Disease Melting Pot
From the third chapter onwards, plagues and diseases actually affect the development of culture and the prosperity of nations. Diseases related to mosquitoes began to rage around the world, and malaria became the most deadly plague at the time. And through the initial eastward and westward expeditions of various armies, various malarias also began to flow in Eurasia. At this time, countries with a large number of foreigners were often more likely to be infected first and develop antibodies earlier.
In contrast, Japan, the UK, and China were island nations. Their resistance to foreign diseases was insufficient, and there were many fatal diseases during this period. The UK at the time was greatly affected by the plague (which was also the most deadly Black Death at the time). Because the population of the UK had doubled at that time, but hygiene habits and resistance were still insufficient. So the Black Death at that time caused the overall population to stagnate for many years.
## Chapter 4: The Mongol Empire Opens Up Paths
Genghis Khan of the Yuan Dynasty in Mongolia created an empire spanning Europe, Asia, and Africa. But it also brought many plagues and infectious diseases with the Mongol Empire. The plague was still the most deadly disease of this era, and rats moved with the army, and commercial ships from various countries would also hide rats.
## Chapter 5: Entering the New World of America
Then smallpox quickly spread across the new American continent, and the lack of resources and hygiene levels further harmed many American ethnic groups. Even the war between Spain and Mexico, because the Mexican army was invaded by smallpox, allowed Spain to win. It can also be seen that plagues can also change the world map.
## Chapter 6: Modern Medicine Shines
The last chapter mentions the process of vaccines and the battle against plagues. And it also began to organize the plague situation in various countries.
# Thoughts
This book was actually first completed in 1975, so the whole book does not actually talk about the situation of COVID. But often human culture really changes with major epidemics. Whether it's an epidemic causing a president to step down, or a plague causing the extinction of a race. It really does represent that humans are really affected by various diseases.
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