10 oldest known diseases
Posted by staff / October 13, 2011
There are some diseases, such as the black plague, that we associate with past centuries. But the plague is a relative newcomer when compared to some of the oldest outbreaks.
We’ve listed some of the oldest known diseases, listed in no particular order. Starting with a condition that thrives in close quarters:
- Cholera Around 400 B.C., the Athenian physician Hippocrates catalogued the diseases of his world. Cholera was on the list.
- Rabies: Rabies is ingenious: Not only does it infect a host, but it also hijacks the host’s brain in a way that makes the host want to bite things. And it’s been doing it since at least 2300 B.C.
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: The oldest disease isn’t really Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever itself, but some unnamed proto-disease with genetic similarity.
Full list at HowStuffWorks.com.
Above: A woodcut from the Middle Ages showing a rabid dog. Via Wikipedia.
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