The first settlers that arrived in the the New World were often malnourished and in a weakened state due to the long voyage, and in poor condition due to the vessels they arrived on. The vessels were crowded, unsanitary, and poorly supplied with food and medicine. The colonists often spent months aboard the vessels, and contagious and infectious disease usually appeared. The most prevalent epidemic diseases that were brought to the colonies were smallpox, diphtheria, scarlet fever, and measles. Of all the diseases, smallpox caused the most devastation. Colonists combated the contagious diseases with quarantine, or isolation, of the ill. After the first outbreak of smallpox, inoculation was practiced and has since become another method used to prevent the spread of disease. As settlements started expanding, diseases started spreading to the local tribes with devastating results, especially in Southern Colonies. The Northern Colonies did not have as many problems with disease due to smaller farming communities and cold winters which limited travel and spread of disease. This fact caused death rates to dwindle and life expectancy to rise for the Northern Colonies.
Resources:
Leavitt, Judith Waltzer.
Sickness and Health in America. (University of Wisconsin Press, 1978).
Cliffsnotes.com. "New England Colonies," (accessed November 9, 2010).
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/New-England-Colonies.topicArticleId-25073,articleId-25010.html
Lind, James. "Essay on the Diseases Incidental to Europeans in Hot Climates."
1978.http://www.flatrock.org.nz/topics/history/assets/disease.jpg
(accessed 11/09/2010).
http://wiki.ubc.ca/images/a/ac/Jenner.jpg
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