Disease and Expansion: A Review of Medical, Ecological and Social Consequences of the Columbian Exchange

Abstract

The exploratory voyage of Christopher Columbus and his arrival in the Bahamas on October 12th, 1492 marked an innovative discovery of the New World. Since then, a series of interactions, including trade, flora, livestock, diseases, technology and ideas, have been extensively exchanged between Europe and the Americas. This massive exchange involved not only economic gains and political domination, but also profound medical, ecological and social impacts: it has transferred viruses and bacteria that carried lethal diseases from Europe to indigenous peoples who lacked immunity. Likewise, the Americas also transmitted fatal diseases through its conquistadors, which eventually resulted in numerous victims in Europe. This paper discusses several notable issues during the Columbian Exchange of diseases, including European medical settlements in the New World, the discovery of new remedies, and main diseases that spread to both the New World and the Old World. Based on the colonial context, this paper will explain the subsequent effects that ultimately changed the world. Overall, it is difficult to imagine how different the world would be without this exchange, in which diseases played an important role in contributing to European prosperity.