Tracing Typhoid Throughout History, Essay Example

Chapter 12 of Hans Zinsser’s Rats, Lice, and History begins the actual discussion of typhoid. Typhoid’s origin and occurrences are difficult to establish due to the lack of reliable documentation. In order to trace the path of typhoid, it is necessary to understand the disease.

Typhoid’s distinguishing symptoms are a severe headache and a characteristic rash that begins at the shoulders and torso, and then spreads to the extremities. Its petechiae first appear pink, then purple, and finally brown. Typhoid may go undiagnosed, as the rash does not appear until the fourth or fifth day after infection. Other symptoms include fever, chills, delirium, muscles aches, weakness, and extreme fatigue.

Typhoid is a member of the Rickettsia family and is related to the Japanese River Valley fever and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Rickettsiae are similar to bacteria, but differ in their response to coloration and need for the cells of living tissue to thrive.

Two forms of typhus exist. One is passed during interepidemic periods through rodents and insects. The other form, which occurs in humans, is epidemic and transmitted through lice.

Ancient parasitic relationships are either beneficial or are benign to the host and parasite. Since both humans and lice are killed by typhoid, Zinsser reasons that this disease is relatively recent.  Zinsser estimates from the known information and recordings of outbreaks with similar characteristics, that typhoid did not originate in Europe until the fifteenth century. From this data, he is better able to trace typhoid’s occurrences in history.

Works Cited

Zinsser, Hans. Rats, Lice, and History. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 2008. 301.

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