MBI 131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Animalcule, Health Care, Disinfectant
12 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
Black death (mid 1300s: 25-50% of the european population died in 15 years, some cities attempted to limit plague by quarantine, disease as divine punishment still a prevalent idea. Diseases can be associated with particular behaviors. Syphilis is acquired from sexual contact, not evil spirits. Diseases may be treatable ie quicksilver cure. Colonial period (1600-1800: epidemic diseases (esp smallpox and measles) Brought by europeans killed millions of native people in the americas. Variolation was practiced in europe to help prevent severe smallpox infections: development of modern ideas of health and disease. Anton von leeuwenhoek uses a primitive microscope to see microorganisms. First study of a link between nutrition and health: james lind: scurvy prevalent among sailors, diet study: sailors put in groups and given various diets, sailors given citrus fruits recovered quickly. Disease was later linked to vitamin c deficiency: scurvy became one of the first diseases that was understood to be prevented by diet.
