Columbus Exchange In 1492

200 Words1 Pages
Immediately following Columbus ' arrival in the New World in 1492, a mass exchange of people, animals, and microscopic life between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres began. This transition brought about extremely dramatic consequences because the Old and New Worlds had previously been completely isolated from each other. Although there were some insignificant results of this exchange, such as certain species of animals and plants taking over foreign ecosystems, there were also devastating ramifications; namely, perilous diseases. The Europeans were immune to the diseases which they introduced to the Natives. This created a virgin soil epidemic, which is an outbreak in which the afflicted had not been exposed to before. Millions of Native Americans