alternatehistory.com

Suppose that, in classical times, the medical wisdom of the day concluded that diseases such as Malaria were not spread through bad air but by mosquitos. I’m not supposing that they actually scientifically prove this, just that they make a guess (which is ultimately all the miasma theory was) that happens to be right.

Now, given that the solution to both miasma and mosquitos is pretty much the same (get rid of swampland and stagnant water), it might not change much - except that people would be more cautious with smaller bodies of stagnant water (such as barrels). Societies would sill drain swampland when they had the resources to do so, or avoid swamps when they didn’t.

One thing that will change is an appreciation for the benefits of mosquito nets. No longer just a matter of comfort, they are treated as medically useful - as they are. They could also be used to quarantine any malaria patients from mosquitos (assuming anyone makes that connection). And the same thing happens once metal window screens are invented (i suppose mosquito nets could bd used as a low tech alternative).

Thoughts?
Top