In the 16th century, a series of deadly epidemics swept through much of the region of Mesoamerica known as the Aztec Empire, killing untold millions. By the start of the first of these epidemics, the area had become woefully accustomed to devasting epidemic disease, as the Spanish conquistadors had introduced smallpox, measles, typhus, and influenza, among other infections. But this disease, with its tendency to induce massive hemorrhage, fever, jaundice, and rapid death, seemed different from those now familiar infections, and so was given a new name: cocoliztli. People watched in horror as cocoliztli overtook town after town, village after village, sometimes killing as much as 80% of the population and leaving nothing but desolation in its wake. Hundreds of years after the epidemics ended, debate about the pathogen responsible for cocoliztli remains. In this episode, we’re going deep down the rabbit hole of this medical mystery, linking the spread and nature of these epidemics with the characteristics of the many pathogens that have been proposed over the years. We draw from contemporary accounts, ecological analyses, and even a recent ancient DNA study to make our evaluations, but do we ever get to the bottom of cocoliztli? Tune in to find out.
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Ep 111 RSV: What’s syncytial anyway?
Ep 110 Influenza, Take 2: Fowl Play
Ep 109 Chikungunya: Not dengue (or is it?)
Ep 108 Gout: Toetally fascinating
Ep 107 Sepsis: It's a mess
Ep 106 Turner Syndrome: Let's talk about X
Ep 105 Down in the Mumps
Ep 104 The Bends: Industrial Revolution, baby
Ep 103 Leptospirosis: Don't blame the rats
Ep 102 Arsenic: Paris Green with Envy
Ep 101 Immortality: This Podcast Won't Kill You
Ep 100 Monkeypox: Here we go again?
Ep 99 Salmonella: A hard egg to crack
Ep 98 Folate: Marmite, anyone?
Special Episode: Snake Venom Evolution
Ep 97 Snake Venom: Collateral Damage
Special Episode: Coprolites!
Ep 96 Tapeworm: We encyst you listen
Special Episode: On the Origin of Epidemiology
Ep 95 Tetanus: An inhuman calamity!
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