A Very Remarkable Sickness: Epidemics In The Petit Nord, 1670 To 1846 (manitoba Studies In Native History)

The area between the Great Lakes and Lake Winnipeg, bounded on the north by the Hudson Bay lowlands, is sometimes known as the "Petit Nord." Providing a link between the cities of eastern Canada and the western interior, the Petit Nord was a critical communication and transportation hub for the North American fur trade for over 200 years.Although new diseases had first arrived in the New World in the 16th century, by the end of the 17th century shorter transoceanic travel time meant that a far greater number of diseases survived the journey from Europe and were still able to infect new communities. These acute, directly transmitted infectious diseases – including smallpox, influenza, and measles – would be responsible for a monumental loss of life and would forever transform North American Aboriginal communities.Historical geographer Paul Hackett meticulously traces the diffusion of these diseases from Europe through central Canada to the West. Significant trading gatherings at Sault Ste. Marie, the trade carried throughout the Petit Nord by Hudson Bay Company ships, and the travel nexus at the Red River Settlement, all provided prime breeding ground for the introduction, incubation and transmission of acute disease. Hackettís analysis of evidence in fur-trade journals and oral history, combined with his study of the diffusion behaviour and characteristics of specific diseases, yields a comprehensive picture of where, when, and how the staggering impact of these epidemics was felt. "The area between the Great Lakes and Lake Winnipeg, bounded on the north by the Hudson Bay lowlands, is sometimes known as the "Petit Nord." Providing a link between the cities of eastern Canada and the western interior, it was a critical communication and transportation hub for the North American fur trade for over 200 years. It also became the dispersal point for waves of devastating disease. An extensive trading network, both among Aboriginal groups and fur trade society, carved a path for the diffusion of diseases such as smallpox, influenza, and measles. Over two centuries, these diseases were responsible for a monumental loss of life and forever transformed North American Aboriginal communities." "Historical geographer Paul Hackett meticulously traces the diffusion of these diseases from Europe through central Canada to the West. Hackett's analysis of evidence in fur trade journals and oral history, combined with this study of the diffusion behaviour, yields a comprehensive picture of where, when, and how the staggering impact of these epidemics was felt."--Résumé de l'éditeur "The area between the Great Lakes and Lake Winnipeg, bounded on the north by the Hudson Bay lowlands, is sometimes known as the "Petit Nord." Providing a link between the cities of eastern Canada and the western interior, it was a critical communication and transportation hub for the North American fur trade for over 200 years. It also became the dispersal point for waves of devastating disease. An extensive trading network, both among Aboriginal groups and fur trade society, carved a path for the diffusion of diseases such as smallpox, influenza, and measles. Over two centuries, these diseases were responsible for a monumental loss of life and forever transformed North American Aboriginal communities.". "Historical geographer Paul Hackett meticulously traces the diffusion of these diseases from Europe through central Canada to the West. Hackett's analysis of evidence in fur trade journals and oral history, combined with this study of the diffusion behaviour, yields a comprehensive picture of where, when, and how the staggering impact of these epidemics was felt."--BOOK JACKET. Cover Contents List of Diagrams, Tables, Maps, and Illustrations Preface Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Old World Disease Transmission Patterns 2.The Early Historical Period in the Petit Nord: 1670-1837 3.The Smallpox Epidemic of 1737-1738 4. Epidemic Disease in the Petit Nord: 1739-1780 5.The Smallpox Epidemic of 1779-1783 6. Epidemic Disease in the Petit Nord: 1784-1818 7. The Measles and Whooping Cough Epidemics of 1819-1820 8. Epidemic Disease in the Petit Nord, 1821-1845 9. The Epidemics of 1846 Conclusion Endnotes Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z