population of the New World dropped by at least 90%.

原住民族的人口銳減90%。

The cause?

原因是什麼呢？

Not the conquistadors and company -- they killed lots of people but their death count is nothing

不是征服者 -- 他們殺了很多人，但造成的死傷遠遠不及

compared to what they brought with them: small pox, typhus, tuberculosis, influenza, bubonic

他們帶來的東西：天花、斑疹傷寒、結核病、流感、鼠疫、

plague, cholera, mumps, measles and more leapt from those first explorers to the costal tribes,

從拓荒者傳染到沿海部族身上的霍亂、腮腺炎、麻疹等等

then onward the microscopic invaders spread through a hemisphere of people with no defenses

然後這些微小的入侵者蔓延了整個半球，感染了無抵抗之力的人們。

against them. Tens of millions died.

數千萬人因此死亡。

These germs decided the fate of these battles long before the fighting started.

這些細菌早在戰鬥開始前就決定了這些戰爭的勝負。

Now ask yourself: why didn't the Europeans get sick?

然而，為什麼歐洲人沒有得病？

If New-Worlders were vulnerable to old-world diseases, then surely Old-Worlders would be

如果新大陸的人會感染舊大陸的疾病，舊大陸的人

vulnerable to New World diseases.

想必也會感染新大陸的病吧。

Yet, there was no Americapox spreading eastward infecting Europe and cutting the population

但當時並沒有美洲疫往東擴散傳染至歐洲，將人口

from 90 million to 9. Had Americapox existed it would have rather dampened European ability

從9千萬砍到9百萬。如果美洲疫存在，它會嚴重地阻礙歐洲人

for transatlantic expansion.

往大西洋彼岸擴張的能力。

To answer why this didn't happen: we need first to distinguish regular diseases -- like

要回答這個問題，我們要先區分一般疾病 -- 像

the common cold -- from what we'll call plagues.

一般感冒 -- 以及我們以下所稱的"瘟疫"。

1. Spread quickly between people.

1. 瘟疫傳染速度快。

Sneezes spread plagues faster than handshakes which are faster than closeness. Plagues

打噴嚏傳染速度高於握手，握手又高於親密行為。

use more of this than this.

疫病對這個，比對這個的使用還多。

2. They kill you quickly or you become immune.

2. 它要不是會快速地殺死你，不然就是使你免疫。

Catch a plague and you're dead within seven to thirty days; survive and you'll never get

如果你得了瘟疫，七到三十天內會死亡；如果你沒死，你就再也

it again. Your body has learned to fight it. You might still carry it -- the plague lives

不會得同一個病。你的身體學會抵抗它。你或許還帶著它 -- 它

in you, you can still spread it -- but it can't hurt you.

活在你體內，你還是會散播它 -- 但它不能傷害你。

The surface answer to this question isn't that Europeans had better immune systems to

表面上的答案並不是歐洲人有較高的免疫力來

fight off New World plagues -- it's that the New World didn't have plagues for them to catch.

抵抗新大陸的瘟疫 -- 而是新大陸沒有瘟疫給他們得。

They had regular diseases but there was no Americapox to carry.

他們有一般的疾病，但沒有美洲疫可以讓人中標。

These are history's biggest killers, and they all come from the Old World.

這些是史上最致命的殺手，而他們都來自舊大陸。

But why?

但為何?

Let's dig deeper, and talk cholera: a plague that spreads if your civilization does a bad

讓我們更進一步探討，來看霍亂：一種瘟疫，假如飲用水和糞水沒有妥善分離

job of separating drinking water from pooping water. London was terrible at this, making

它就能在你的文明裡大肆傳染。倫敦的飲水衛生奇差無比，

it the cholera capital of the world. Cholera can rip through dense neighborhoods, killing

使它成為世界霍亂之都。霍亂能在人口密集的社區肆虐，

swaths of the population before moving onward. But that's the key: it has to move on.

殺死無數人，然後繼續前進。但這就是關鍵: 它必須繼續前進。

In a small, isolated group, a plague like cholera cannot survive -- it kills all available

在一個小而孤立的團體，像霍亂的瘟疫無法存活 -- 它殺死所有適合的

victims, leaving only the immune and then theres nowhere to go -- it's a fire that burns

人，留下免疫的人，然後就沒地方去了 -- 就像一場大火

through its fuel.

將自己燒到油盡燈枯。

But a city -- shining city on the hill -- to which rural migrants flock, where hundreds

但一個城市 -- 山坡上一個亮麗的城市 -- 鄉下人不斷聚集的地方，一天數百個

of babies are born a day: this is sanctuary for the fire of plague; fresh kindling comes

嬰兒出生的地方：這是瘟疫的庇護所；新鮮的火種

to it. The plague flares and smolders and flares and smolders again -- impossible to

不斷送上門。瘟疫爆發，然後潛伏消失，然後再度爆發 -- 永遠不可能

extinguish.

滅絕。

Historically, in city borders, plagues killed faster than people could breed. Cities grew

歷史上，城市裡的瘟疫致死速度比人類繁殖的速度還快。城市會成長是

because more people moved to them than died inside of them. Cities only started growing

因為移入的人比在裡頭死亡的人多。城市的成長

from their own population in the 1900s when medicine finally left its leaches and bloodletting

只有在1900年代後才是從自身的人口繁衍，靠的是醫學終於從水蛭和放血

phase and entered its soap and soup phase, giving humans some tools to slow death.

進步到衛生和湯藥，使人們有減少死亡率的手段。

But before that a city was an unintentional playground for plagues and a grim machine to

但在那之前，城市無意間變成瘟疫的遊樂園，能

sort the immune from the rest.

將免疫人士與眾分離。

So the deeper answer is that the New World didn't have plagues because the New World

所以更深一層的答案是新大陸沒有瘟疫因為新大陸

didn't have big, dense, terribly sanitized deeply interconnected cities for plagues to

並沒有又大又密集，衛生環境極差，互相緊密連結的城市讓瘟疫

thrive.

生存。

OK, but The New World wasn't completely barren of cities, and tribes weren't completely isolated.

OK，不過新大陸並不是完全沒城市，且各部落也不是完全沒互相接觸。

Otherwise the newly-arrived smallpox in the 1400s couldn't have spread.

不然1400年代新到來的天花就不會擴散。

Cities are only part of the puzzle: they're required for plagues, but cities don't make

城市只是拼圖的一部分: 他們是瘟疫所需的，但城市並不生產

the germs that start the plagues -- those germs come from the missing piece.

造成瘟疫的細菌 -- 這些細菌是缺少的那塊拼圖。

Now, most germs don't want to kill you, for the same reason you don't want to burn down

大部分的細菌不想殺死你，跟你不想把自己的房子燒了的原因一樣；

your house; germs live in you. Chronic diseases like leprosy are terrible because they're

細菌活在你體內。慢性病如痲瘋很糟糕因為它們

very good at living in you and not killing you.

善於活在你體內但不殺死你。

Plague lethality is an accident, a misunderstanding, because the germs that cause them don't know

瘟疫的致死率其實是個意外、是個誤會，因為細菌不知道

they're in humans; they think they're in this.

它們在人體內；它們以為自己在這個裡。

Plagues come from animals.

瘟疫來自動物。

Whooping cough comes from pigs, as does flu, as well as from birds. Our friend the cow

百日咳來自豬，流感也是。流感也來自鳥類。光是我們的牛牛夥伴

alone is responsible for measles, tuberculosis, and smallpox.

就帶來麻疹，結核病和天花

For the cow these diseases are no big deal -- like colds for us. But when cow germs get

對牛來說這些疾病無所謂 -- 就像感冒對我們一樣。但當牛的細菌跑到

in humans, the things they do to make a cow a little sick to spread make humans very sick.

人身上，讓牛稍微生病的東西，會讓人病得要死。

Deadly sick.

病到死。

Now, germs jumping species like this is extraordinarily rare. That's why generations of humans can

但細菌從動物感染到人身上極為罕見。這就是為何好幾世代的人類能

spend time around animals just fine. Being the patient zero of a new animal-to-human

安心地和動物相處。要當首位被動物傳染的人就像

plague is winning a terrible lottery.

中了一個糟糕透頂的樂透

But a colonial-age city raises the odds: there used to be animals everywhere; horses, herds

但殖民時代的城市把機率提高了： 那時到處都有動物；馬、

of livestock in the streets, open slaughterhouses, meat markets pre-refrigeration, and rivers

馬路上的家畜、開放式的屠宰場、無冷藏的肉攤、

of human and animal excrement running through it all.

充滿人和動物排泄物的河流。

A more perfect environment for diseases to jump species could hardly be imagined.

沒有比這更完美的環境能讓疾病傳播到不同物種了。

So the deeper answer is that plagues come from animals, but so rarely that you have to raise

所以更深的答案是瘟疫雖來自動物，但機率低到你必須

the odds with many chances for infection and even then the new-born plague needs a fertile environment

藉由提升感染機會才能增加可能性，且新的瘟疫還需要肥沃的環境

to grow. The Old World had the necessary pieces in abundance.

來生長。舊大陸有豐富的必要元素。

But why was a city like London filled with sheep and pigs and cows and Tenochtitlan wasn't?

但為何像倫敦的城市充滿著牛羊豬， 而特諾奇提特蘭(墨西哥阿茲提克帝國首都)沒有?

This brings us to the final level, for this video anyway.

這是這部影片會涉及的最後一層元素。

Some animals can be put to human use -- this is what domestication means: animals you can

有些動物能被人類利用 -- 這就是馴養的意思: 能飼養的動物

breed, not just hunt.

不光只是獵物而已。

Forget for a the moment the modern world: go back to 10,000BC when tribes of humans reached

先把現代社會的樣子忘掉，想像西元前10,000年，當人類部族抵達

just about everywhere. If you were in one of these tribes, what local animals could you

世界各地。如果你是部族其中一員，有哪些在地動物是你

capture, alive, and successfully pen to breed?

能活捉並馴養繁殖的?

Maybe you're in North Dakota and thinking about catching a Buffalo: an unpredictable,

也許你在北達科他，打算捕捉一頭野牛: 一種難以捉摸，

violent tank on hooves, that can outrun you across the planes, leap over your head and

長了蹄的暴力坦克，跑得比你快，能跳過你的頭頂，

travels in herds thousands strong.

且以數千頭之強成群結隊。

Oh, and you have no horses to help you -- because there are no horses on the continent. Horses

對了，你沒有馬可以幫你 -- 因為這個*大陸*上沒有馬

live here -- and won't be brought over until too late.

馬住這裡 －而且在你完蛋之前不會到你這來

It's just you, a couple buddies, and stone-based tools. American Indians didn't fail to domesticate

只有你、一些夥伴、和一些石器工具。美洲原住民沒有馴服

buffalo because they couldn't figure it out. They failed because it's a buffalo. No one

野牛不是因為他們沒想出辦法，而是因為野牛是野牛。沒有人辦的到

could do it -- buffalo would have been amazing creatures to put to human work back in BC,

－ 在西元前的時代野牛也許會是非常好用的勞役動物，

but it's not going to happen -- humans have only barely domesticated buffalo with all

但那是不可能的 -- 人類使用所有現代工具才勉強能馴養

our modern tools.

野牛。

The New World didn't have good animal candidates for domestication. Almost everything big enough

新大陸沒有好的動物能馴養。幾乎所有夠大的動物

to be useful is also too dangerous, or too agile.

要不是太危險，就是太靈活。

Meanwhile the fertile crescent to central Europe had cows and pigs and sheep and

但從肥沃月灣到中歐有牛羊豬和

goats: easy-peasy animals comparatively begging to be domesticated.

山羊：小事一樁的動物，相較之下根本是在拜託人類馴養。

A wild boar is something to contend with if you only have stone tools but it's possible

如果只有石器，野豬能與之抗衡，但他們能被

to catch and pen and breed and feed to eat -- because pigs can't leap to the sky or crush

捕捉、飼養、繁殖還有養大來吃 -- 因為豬不會跳到空中，也不會碾碎

all resistance beneath their hooves.

蹄下所有的阻礙。

In the New World the only native domestication contestant was: llamas. They're better than

新大陸能被馴養的候選動物只有：大羊駝。他們比

nothing -- which is probably why the biggest cities existed in South America -- but they're

什麼都沒有好 -- 這也許是為何美洲最大的城市都在南美洲－但他們

no cow. Ever try to manage a heard of llamas in the mountains of Peru? Yeah, you can do

遠不如牛。試過在祕魯山區放牧一群羊駝嗎？是可以做得到，

it, but it's not fun. Nothing but drama, these llamas.

但可不是什麼好差事。這些羊駝就是些草尼馬。

These might seem, cherry-picked examples, because aren't there hundreds of thousands

這些看起來也許是精選的例子。動物的物種不是有

of species of animals? Yes, but when you're stuck at the bottom of the tech tree, almost

幾千幾萬個嗎？沒錯，但當你還在已知用火時，幾乎

none of them can be domesticated. From the dawn of man until this fateful meeting, humans

所有的動物都無法被馴服。從人類的起源直到這場命中注定的會面，

domesticated; maybe a baker's dozen of unique species the world over. And even to get that

人類馴養了大概十數種動物。且要得到

high a number you need to stretch it to include honeybees and silkworms; nice to have, but

如此高的數字，你還要包含蜜蜂和蠶；有牠們是不錯，

you can't build a civilization on a foundation of honey alone.

但光用蜂蜜是不能建立一個文明的。

These early tribes weren't smarter, or better at domestication. The Old World had more valuable

這些早期部落沒有比較聰明，馴養起動物也沒有比較厲害。舊大陸有較多有用

and easy animals. With dogs, herding sheep and cattle is easier. Now humans have a buddy

且易於馴服的動物。有了狗，牧羊和牛更容易，現在人們有伙伴幫忙

to keep an eye on the clothing factory, and the milk and cheeseburger machine, and the

管理成衣廠、生產牛奶和起司漢堡的機器還有

plow-puller. Now farming is easier, which means there's more benefit to staying put,

犁獸。這讓農耕更容易，代表定居對人們更有利，

which means more domestication, which means more food which means more people and more

使得更多動物被馴養，產生更多糧食，造成人口上升及

density and oh look where we're going. Citiesville: population: lots; bring your animals; plagues

密度增加，看看結果如何。小鎮村： 人口：一大堆；帶著你的動物來；瘟疫

welcome.

大歡迎。

That is the full answer: The lack of New World animals to domesticate limited not only exposure

這是完整的答案：新大陸缺乏能馴養的動物，不只限制了

to germs sources but also limited food production, which limited population growth, which limited

細菌孳生源，還限制了糧食生產，進而抑制人口成長，

cities, which made plagues in the New World an almost impossibility. In the Old [World], exactly

又限制了城市出現，使瘟疫在新大陸幾乎不可行。在舊大陸完全

the reverse, and thus a continent full of plague and a continent devoid of it.

相反。因此一個充滿瘟疫，一個沒有。

So when ships landed in the New World, there was no Americapox to bring back.

所以當艦隊登陸新大陸，沒有美洲疫可以帶回家。

The game of civilization has nothing to do with the players, and everything to do with

文明的棋局跟玩家毫無關聯，而是完全取決於

the map. Access to domesticated animals in numbers and diversity is the key resource

地圖。取得大量馴養動物的機會及牠們的多樣性是關鍵資源

to bootstrapping a complex society from nothing -- and that complexity brings with it, unintentionally,

能從零開始引導出一個複雜的社會－而這樣的複雜性意外地帶來

a passive biological weaponry devastating to outsiders.

一個被動的生化武器，對外地者極為致命。

Start the game again but move the domesticable animals across the sea and history's arrow

如果遊戲重來，但如果我們把馴養動物交換，歷史上

of disease and death flows in the opposite direction.

疾病和死亡的流向將對調。

This still does leave one last question. Just why are some animals domesticable and others

還有一個問題還沒解。為何有些動物能被馴養，有些

not? Why couldn't American Indians domesticate deer? Why can't zebras be domesticated? They

不能？為何美洲印第安人不能馴養鹿？為何斑馬不能被馴養？牠們

look just like horses. And what does it mean to tame an animal? To answer that, click here

跟馬長得差不多。還有"馴服"動物是什麼意思？要回答這個問題請點這裡來看

for part 2.

第2部分。

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