Columbian Exchange: Europe and the Americas Essay

The Columbian Exchange was an impactful spread of civilization. nutrient and even scaring diseases between the Old World and the New World. This great exchange started after the inadvertent find of the Americas by Christopher Columbus. Originally. Columbus and his crew set on a journey to happen a western sea path to China. India and the spice islands of Asia. Alternatively. he found a whole new universe in the western hemisphere that was finally named “The New World” . The Columbian Exchange had permanent effects on both the Old World every bit good as the New World.

The Columbian Exchange had several positive impacts. one of which was the debut of new staple harvests such as corn and murphies to Europe. These staple harvests and even some extra new nutrients such as capsicum Piper nigrum. field vanilla and coca provided foods that the autochthonal harvests didn’t have. Europe besides received quinine which was a medical specialty that helped cover with malaria. The Columbian Exchange besides had a few negative impacts ; the most devastating was the spread of diseases in the Americas that were brought from Europe. Diseases like variola. TB. and bubonic pestilence rapidly transfused across the New World.

Overall the Columbian Exchange had a more negative impact on the New World and a more positive influence on the Old World. One enduring feeling the New World had on the Old World was the debut of new harvests and nutrients. One basic nutrient that the Europeans brought back was corn. Maize was a success in Europe because it produces good in a assortment of climes. Maize prospers in countries excessively dry for rice and excessively wet for wheat doing it ideal to turn in many different climes ( Crosby W. Alfred 2003 ) . For this ground corn was really popular and adopted rapidly. The murphy besides had a immense consequence on the Old World.

The murphy contains big sums of Calories and foods due to the amylum in it. The murphy is able to prolong life better than any other nutrient that is consumed ( Davidson and Passmore. 1965. p. 285 ) . Like corn. the murphy can besides be cultivated in a assortment of climes doing it ideal for Europeans to utilize ( Crosby W. Alfred 2003 ) . The first topographic point the murphy reached was Ireland. In fact the murphy spurred a population growing in Ireland ( Nunn and Qian 2009 ) . The ground the murphy became popular in Europe was because of the copiousness of foods that it contains and because it can prolong lives all by itself which other harvests can non make.

Even though murphies and maize had a large impact on Europe. many other nutrients like pepper Piper nigrums besides had a positive impact on the Old World. Capsicum Peppers originated in Bolivia and southern Brazil. When the Europeans came to the Americas. the Piper nigrum migrated to Mesoamerica and the Caribbean ( Andrews. 1992. 82-83 ) . The pepper Piper nigrums had reached Spain and Africa by 1453. It had besides reached the East Indies by 1540 and India by 1542 ( Andrews. 1992. 82-83 ) . The pepper Piper nigrum has besides impacted many other states. In Southeast Asia the pepper Piper nigrum has been used in culinary arts.

Capsicum Piper nigrums are besides really alimentary. They contain a good sum of vitamin A. vitamin B. and vitamin C. They besides contain big sums of Fe and Mg. Magnesium is indispensable because it spurs energy production and Fe is of import because it speeds up metamorphosis ( Greger 1994 ) . This shows how capsicum Piper nigrums that originated in the Americas came to large usage in Europe doing a positive impact on their society. Another nutrient that had a positive impact on Europe was apparent vanilla. Plain vanilla originated in Mexico. Central America. and South America. Plain vanilla comes from the works Vanilla planifolia.

The vanilla cods need to be fermented and it creates the chemical vanillin. The vanillin is the chemical that gives obviously vanilla its aroma and its distinguishable spirit ( Rain. 1992. p. 37 ) . Plain vanilla was first brought back to Spain when Cortez came to the Americas. It became really popular in a really short sum of clip in Europe because mills were utilizing the vanilla to season the cocoa. Like cocoa. vanilla excessively became a luxury that merely the blue bloods could afford ( Rain. 1992. p. 40 ) . Vanilla was non merely used for seasoning. it was besides used for aromas in aromas and baccy ( Bruman. 1948. pp. 371-372 ) .

This is why field vanilla grew so popular in the Old World. It’s great gustatory sensation and odor made it appealing to many states. Coca was another harvest that benefited Europe. People of the Inca Empire foremost used coca foliages. where they chewed them during spiritual activities. The first Spanish colonists adopted this thought and brought back to Europe where it became popular. A well-known psychologist by the name of Sigmund Freud started masticating coca after he found out that coca additions stamina. creativeness. and it decreases hungriness ( Hobhouse. 2005. pp. 310-313 ) .

After this was discovered. coca became highly popular in Europe and it began to distribute throughout the universe. Foods were non the merely positive things that helped the Europeans. A gift that the New World gave to the Old World was quinine. Quinine contains anti-malarial alkaloids. which come from the barks of Peruvian bark trees. These trees grow in Columbia. Ecuador. and Peru ( Brockway. 1979. p. 108 ) . This medical specialty was helpful to the Europeans because it allow them go across the universe and conquer lands without worrying about the menace of malaria.

Even though the Columbian Exchange had an overall positive consequence on Europe. it had a negative influence on the Americas. One disease that was brought to the New World was Smallpox. The smallpox virus is caused by Variola. which is closely related to vaccinias and monkeypox ( Patterson 2002 ) . The infection causes skin roseolas and causes mucous secretion membranes to emerge. These roseolas stay for approximately 12 yearss so the individual infected so experiences 104 grade Fahrenheit febrility. back hurting. and purging. Three yearss subsequently the roseola will distribute to the olfactory organ. oral cavity. forearms. pharynx. custodies. and face ( Ngan. 2011 ) .

Smallpox easy spreads through close contact. “Estimates of decease rates ensuing from variola epidemics range between 39 % for the Aztecs. 50 % for the Piegan. Huron. Catawba. Cherokee. and Iroquois. 66 % for the Omaha and Blackfeet. 90 % for the Mandan. and 100 % for the Taino… ” ( Halverson. 2007 ) . Smallpox epidemics affected the life of many Native American folks for 100s of old ages. This is merely one disease that had an atrocious consequence on the Native Americans. Tuberculosis is besides another disease that spread from the Old World to the New World. Tuberculosis. is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium TB ( Paulsen 1987 ) .

The bacteriums can assail any portion of the organic structure. but most often attacks the lungs. Tuberculosis of the lungs and pharynx is infective. When a individual with Tuberculosis coughs or sneezings. the bacterium spread into the air. Peoples nearby may take a breath in these bacteriums and go septic. When a individual breathes in the bacterium. the bacterium settee in the lungs and get down to turn. The first major eruptions of Tuberculosis among the native people of North America began in the 1880’s after they were settled on reserves. When Native Americans were required to populate in little fixed huts. an epidemic began.

As Native Americans were populating to reservations their decease rates from Tuberculosis increased quickly. Bates and Stead give the decease rates of Native Americans. “By 1886 the Tuberculosis decease rate reached 9000 per 100. 000 people. These rates are much higher than of all time observed in Europe because the Native Americans lacked unsusceptibility to Tuberculosis and were weak in contending off the bacteria” ( Bates & A ; Stead. 1993 ) . The Native Americans were being hit by disease after disease with the Europeans coming over and settling. Another disease that devastated them was the Bubonic Plague. The Bubonic Plague is besides known as the Black Death.

Bubonic pestilence distressingly causes conceited lymph nodes that appear around the inguen. axilla. or cervix ( Halverson. 2007 ) . The Bubonic pestilence had already devastated Europe by killing 1000000s and after Europeans came to the Americas. the Black Death killed 1000000s of Native Americans. The Columbian Exchange was a clip when European states sent adventurers to the Americas after Christopher Columbus discovered the “New World” . The Americas were filled with new harvests and nutrients that turned out to be really good to the Europeans. The Europeans brought back staple harvests like corn and murphy that contain a big sum of foods.

Other harvests include capsicum Piper nigrum. field vanilla. and coca. Each had their ain manner of assisting the Europeans. A medical specialty that the Europeans took from the Americas was quinine. Quinine fought off malaria. which tremendously benefited the Europeans because they were able to suppress lands that have malaria but non decease from the disease. The Columbian Exchange benefited the Europeans. but it did non profit the Americas. The Columbian Exchange brought many Europeans to the Americas. With many Europeans going to the New World. many diseases besides came along.

Diseases like variola. TB. and the bubonic pestilence resulted in the decease of 1000000s of Native Americans. These diseases even killed off many folks wholly. The Columbian Exchange proved to be good to the Old World while lay waste toing a batch of the New World. Andrews. Jean. 1992. The Aristotelian chili Piper nigrum: Diffusion of the domesticated peppers since Columbus. In Nelson Foster and Linda S. Cordell ( eds. ) Chilies to Chocolate: Food the Americas Gave the World. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. 81-93. Bates. Joesph H. . and William W. Stead. “Oregon Experience: White Plague. ” TB Among Native Americans. N. p. . 1993.

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Duiker. William J. . and Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History. Belmont. Calcium: : Thomson/Wadsworth. 2007. Print. Halverson. Melissa Sue. “Native American Beliefs and Medical Treatments During the Smallpox Epidemics: An Development. ” Native Americans and The Smallpox Epidemic. N. p. . Summer 2007. Web. 07 Apr. 2013. Ngan. Vanessa. “DermNet NZ. ” Smallpox ( smallpox ) . N. p. . 1 July 2011. Web. 07 Apr. 2013. Nunn. Nathan and Nancy Qian. 2009. The potato’s part to population and urbanisation: Evidence from an historical experiment.

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