They've been doing it for DECADES

AMERICAN COWS ARE MUNCHING AWAY AT BUCKETS OF CHICKEN SHIT RIGHT NOW

AND IT MADE THE NEW PLAGUE

WE FED THE COWS THE BIRD DOODOO

pennsylvania has closed its borders

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[+] 47 points 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (7 children)
  • [–] 28 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Basically all of them afaik. Most of the big epidemics spread to humans from 1. domesticated animals 2. kept in very close/tight quarters

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  • [–] 20 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I would give the caveat that it's almost all diseases after the 19th century or so given that most of the epidemics before that were caused by people, like, drinking water with literal human shit in it.

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  • [–] 25 points 2 years ago

    To the best of my knowledge that isnt really accurate. For one, smallpox, the biggest recurring epidemic disease, is from rats. Bubonic plague is from fleas on rats drawn to cowfeed and other grains stored in large quantities. Chickenpox, cowpox etc also from livestock.

    For another, the water in pre-1800s Europe was much more drinkable than is commonly assumed. You might get worms, but generally you dont see the massive outbreaks of dysentry until urban populations explode from the 1600s on. Generally pre1800s epidemics are a complex mixture of lack of nutrition and a disease transmitted from some animal, rather than just "people drank their own shit".

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  • [+] 17 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)
  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    woah really? I thought it would be cleaning litter boxes or something else involving cat feces

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