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Mata Pelajaran Bahasa Inggris Kelas X
G. Cek Kemampuan
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The history of Smallpox 1520
The two decades following Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the
Caribbean, he witnessed numerous outbreaks of diseases among both European
and indigenous populations. Smallpox, which emerged in 1518 among the native
population of Hispaniola, became the first clearly documented killer disease
imported from the Old World by European visitors. The disease spread quickly,
claiming one-third of the native population. From Hispaniola it spread further to
other islands, reaching the Mexican mainland in 1520, coinciding with Cortés’s
siege of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán. From central Mexico, smallpox moved
into Guatemala the following year, and thereupon continued into other areas of
Central America, the Andean highlands and South America where the disease is
believed to have arrived sometime between 1524 and 1530 when an outbreak
continued through the Inca Empire, decimating thousands of its population
including several members of the Inca royal family. Brazil experienced an
outbreak of smallpox in 1562, and subsequently, the disease made waves at
regular intervals during the rest of the colonial period. Responses to the smallpox
epidemic were varied. They include priests organising religious marches and
ministering to the sick and dying. Government officials and wealthy citizens made
donations for charity hospitals. In response to an exceptionally severe outbreak
in 1589, the viceroy of Peru issued specific medical instructions towards helping
district governments lessen the impact of the outbreak. Lima physicians advised
the use of quarantine among all native communities to prevent further spread of
the disease. Quarantines proved largely problematic. However, other
recommended public health measures included sticking to a diet of meat,
presumably to boost the immune system. One recommendation in particular was
historically noteworthy: the viceroy urged families to minimise physical contact in
order to prevent spreading the infection among themselves.
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