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May 11th, 2009 - 08:05 am
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In America, smallpox at worst sure could be. (30-75% of the -total population- of a tribe dying in a single smallpox epidemic among Native Americans was more typical from the primary sources, but there were -lots- of successive epidemics). And this is long, long after smallpox was first introduced. Many other marginally less lethal diseases were also circulating as well.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/tribal.html?c=y&page=1
1837, long after introduction of smallpox, over 90% total mortality in one tribe of nearly two thousand people and over 50% overall across a large area.
That sort of mortality was possible among very isolated white people too
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foula#15th_to_19th_centuries
Smallpox is a very, very serious disease, and if everybody comes down with it at once a lot of indirect deaths can also occur that wouldn't happen if there were people able to take care of the sick.
-Yrf |
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