Essay
Disease and Population Collapse After 1492
A careful look at disease, colonial disruption, Indigenous population collapse, Old World pathogens, and the limits of simple post-1492 stories.
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disease population collapse Americas
Author
By Devin Teichrow. Published January 11, 2026.
Overview
A careful look at disease, colonial disruption, Indigenous population collapse, Old World pathogens, and the limits of simple post-1492 stories.
The story of disease in the Americas post-1492 is usually told in a blunt manner, with Europeans arriving, Old World pathogens hitching a ride, and then causing a total collapse of the Indigenous Populations.
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https://theedgeofepidemiology.substack.com/p/when-worlds-collided-disease-and
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