The diseases that changed humanity forever - Dan Kwartler

Explore the history of humanity’s deadliest diseases, and find out how our progress and innovation exposed us to new pathogens.
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Since humanity’s earliest days, we’ve been plagued by countless disease-causing pathogens. Invisible and persistent, these microorganisms and the illnesses they incur have killed more humans than anything else in history. But which disease has been the deadliest? Dan Kwartler digs into how human progress and innovation throughout history exposed us to surprising new maladies.
Lesson by Dan Kwartler, directed by BASA.
This video made possible in collaboration with Gates Ventures
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View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/the-diseas...
Dig deeper with additional resources: ed.ted.com/lessons/the-diseas...
Animator's website: www.basaestudio.com
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Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Jose Arcadio Valdes Franco, Sebastiaan Vleugels, Karl Laius, JY Kang, Abhishek Goel, Heidi Stolt, Nicole Sund, Karlee Finch, Mario Mejia, Denise A Pitts, Doug Henry, Keven Webb, Mihai Sandu, Deepak Iyer, Javid Gozalov, Kyanta Yap, Rebecca Reineke, William Biersdorf, Patricia Alves Panagides, Yvette Mocete, Cyrus Garay, Samuel Barbas, LadyGeek, Marin Kovachev, Penelope Misquitta, Hans Peng, Gaurav Mathur, Erik Biemans, Tony, Michelle, Katie and Josh Pedretti, Hoai Nam Tran, Kack-Kyun Kim, Michael Braun-Boghos, zjweele13, Anna-Pitschna Kunz, Edla Paniguel, Thomas Mungavan, Jaron Blackburn, Venkat Venkatakrishnan, ReuniteKorea, Aaron Henson, Rohan Gupta, Begum Tutuncu, Brian Richards, Jørgen Østerpart, Tyron Jung, Carsten Tobehn, Katie Dean, Ezgi Yersu, Gerald Onyango and alessandra tasso.

[@davea6314]

If it were not for antibiotics I would be dead. I'm grateful to Sir Alexander Fleming for discovering penicillin. Fleming definitely deserved winning the Nobel Prize in Medicine and getting knighted.

[@DoctorX17]

Thank God he had the curiosity to look at the moldy sample others might have just thrown away! The right genius at the right place and right time has saved countless lives.

[@davea6314]

@@DoctorX17 Sir Alexander Fleming saved millions of lives including my life. In 2028 at the 100th anniversary of his discovery there should be parades and celebrations to honor him.

[@davea6314]

@@DoctorX17 Are you a physician? Did you earn a PhD in something? I ask because of your username.

[@DoctorX17]

@@davea6314 not a physician, just a fan of Doctor Who :) Parades would definitely be great! One of the most important discoveries in medical history deserves great fanfare

[@joanhoffman3702]

@@DoctorX17Chance favors the prepared mind. - Louis Pasteur

[@aminetaoussi7372]

Glad to be living in an era where vaccination and medication are available

[@DefnitelyNotFred]

Less glad to live in an era where some people still doubt vaccination and medication, plus climate science 😢

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Agreed Edit: I meant agreed Edit#1: sorry forgot to add edits

[@starmaker75]

Or heck, have medicine that actually works and not make it worse. Not only that but have better knowledge of disease.

[@mysterio952]

I'm sad that pple trust payed science 😢

[@HIFLY01]

​@@DefnitelyNotFredjust because people don't like 1 vaccine doesn't make the anti vax

[@lucianoosorio5942]

“I took one from both teams from a disease nobody knew existed. I didn’t leave a mark on history, I French kissed it!” Freddie Mercury

[@nsikansamuel710]

I'm a champion of the world...

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

I love that quote

[@alexanderveritas]

What in the _Ga Ga?_

[@rami0036]

I didn't understand what did he do ?

[@Wired4Life2]

@@rami0036 HIV/AIDS.

[@athrv1018]

This is still prevelant in today's society. The rich are still getting the best care while the poor and working class are being neglected

[@ElBandito]

Worst of all, some of those poor and working class are anti-vaxxers; the most idiotic people.

[@thatreddude7700]

Exactly. Meanwhile the rich are completely oblivious to the fact that not only wouldn’t they be rich if it wasn’t for the poor and working class, but without us there would be nothing for them to confirm their status in society, making it null and void.

[@sanityforall4021]

True, but even the poorest people today are better off than the rich from 100 years ago.

[@mageinabarrel802]

@@sanityforall4021 no, the very rich of 100 years ago lived better than the homeless and poor do today

[@NoName-hg6cc]

​@@mageinabarrel802Only the very destituted

[@peterinbrat]

In the 19th century, about one in seven ppl died of TB worldwide..

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

That is very tragic

[@maestroh2986]

I often wonder how we survived this long as a species before medical advances. Now I know.

[@duckymomo7935]

Women can be baby making machines in times of need. They can probably make 30 kids of which only some will survive into adulthood Also humans still have an immune system and can be resilient- it’s just painful for growing up with horrible conditions

[@Alizudo]

​@@duckymomo7935 My grandfather had 8 siblings.

[@thefriesofLockeLamora]

Accessibility will always be key. One day, hopefully, healthcare will be a right delivered to all without worry of debt

[@3Faidonas3]

America moment

[@Rowanbossart]

Atleast you get care. Canadas health care is broken id rather directly pay for health care or insurance then get underfunded bad healthcare while also having substantially higher tax rates

[@clayel1]

@@Rowanbossarthow is it broken? youd rather pay 4000 for an ambulance?

[@Rowanbossart]

@@clayel1 we pay for ambulances too, you actually pay for everything except er and long term treatment, again while adding significant tax burden. For example wisdom teeth used to be covered under health care but it’s not anymore, you have to pay for it even though it’s considered a surgery. Oh yeah and you’re not getting a credit or anything for getting necessary health related surgery that was once covered

[@clayel1]

@@Rowanbossart wow, that’s pretty bad, but considering that you dont need to pay for er how is it worse?

[@chitwansingh]

Such a John Green Topic!

[@KnowledgeCat]

Such an insightful video on how diseases have shaped human history. It’s fascinating to see the impact they’ve had on humanity. Great work on this enlightening piece!

[@Sunflowersarepretty]

Great video! They should've included covid 19 in it too. I'm glad we live in an era where even though we're not invincible we still are able to lead healthy lives and live longer thanks to our modern medicines and technologies and our history.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Agreed

[@mysterio952]

Covid19? U dont have seen the statistics aight?

[@HIFLY01]

A +98% survival rate doesn't make covid one of the world's deadliest diseases...

[@klloydplata4098]

Handsoap is like a Superpowered ability thing in real-life world. This is why I hand-washing more than 5 times a single moment.

[@alparslankorkmaz2964]

nice video as always by TED-Ed

[@klloydplata4098]

Always washing your hands is the most important good and safest way for control and prevention of widespread diseases because proper hygiene to protect, defend and prevent you from getting illness, sickness, or diseases.

[@mariekatherine5238]

Not just hands, but have clean living quarters, clothing, streets, food stuff. Visualize skid row in LA and do the direct opposite. They had several outbreaks of typhus, tb, three cases of plague.

[@jasonvoorhees5180]

1:39 Sometimes i really just sit and ponder how many awful diseases we suffer from today that really only emerged after we developed plant/animal agriculture

[@CharlotteXMoon]

And if we all actually work together we can develop even more cures for even more diseases

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

True

[@mysterio952]

Or more diseases to make more cures

[@fennynickie5731]

What do you mean if WE all work together WTF do you know about medicine

[@CharlotteXMoon]

@fennynickie5731 Just saying instead of fighting with each other, let's work together to make the world a safer, happier, and healthier place. Please don't go at me

[@Ricketan]

Ty Ted Ed

[@questionsigetjustlikethat2213]

Thank you TED

[@tarunpande8974]

Good video , Thanks for sharing.

[@MohammedR-fk2ju]

Great animation!

[@Erazon]

Please make more videos on diseases ❤️❤️❤️

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Agreed

[@Sloppy_McFloppy]

4:30 definitely triggered some PTSD in SS13 players

[@WWTormentor]

Two questions. 1) how do they know what the worlds population was in the 1300’s when they didn’t even know that the new world (Americas)existed? 2) is there any evidence of any pandemics or diseases that effected the new world populations and how did that effect the Europeans that came to the new world without any natural immunity?

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Those are good questions.

[@tuele4302]

Regarding 2), there is plenty of evidence. While the Europeans weren't immune, they were more resistant, being the descendants of survivors.

[@eris9062]

1) how do we know the population of anywhere at anytime? It’s not like there was wide spread and accurate census data in every country, but through historical records, archaeological evidence and knowledge about living conditions in similar regions estimates can be made. 2) Colonists weren’t immune to diseases such as smallpox, but rather they and their ancestors had developed resistance to it leading to both reduced spread and reduced mortality rates, something the native/indigenous populations didn’t have - hence the increased mortality rates and rapid collapse of many civilisations. So with that in mind colonists who came later would’ve also had the same resistances as they and their ancestors also had to contend with such diseases.

[@benyseus6325]

@@eris9062that’s not what he’s asking: 1. The census weren’t conducted back then, the population estimates were done in contemporary times by modern scientists and a population was derived from historical accounts and extrapolating demographical trends 2. Although there were “New World diseases” that affected the European colonists when they entered America (like syphilis), they did not kill European colonist on the scale that imported Old World diseases killed New World indigenes and that’s simply because of the fact that North and South America lacked the same farm animals that proliferated these kinds of diseases (like cows, pigs and chickens), until the Spanish introduced them.

[@OOOOOOOKKKKKKK69]

1 has been answered 2 the mortality rate due to 'import diseases' was extremely high, i believe somewhere north of 90%. So high even that they had to get their slaves from Africa because there was no local suitable workforce.

[@teabean1518]

I’m expecting John Green to watch this

[@Petch85]

Honestly I think you are to kind when it comes to tuberculosis and malaria. There are no good reason that this many people die from these diseases, and that have been no good reason for years. We do not lack the technology and we could easily make a huge deference in these numbers. But we (us watching yt) have never known anyone that died from tuberculosis or malaria we don't need to face that reality. We know people that have died from cancer and people living with diabetes, but the sad truth is that we keep the prices of diagnoses and treatment higher than the cost because we think it is fair to turne a good profit on lifesaving medicin. We probably spend more money on useless supplements and unnecessary protein powder than it would cost save 99% of all these deaths.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

So true

[@tuele4302]

None of that is free. And companies will try to make money. They are not non-profit organizations.

[@Petch85]

@@tuele4302 And millions of people will die every year so that some people can make more money. This is a fair and just system and we should not try and improve it. The fact is that there lives are not worth a less than 100$ investment and we are find with that. Cause the are not non-profit organizations and they need a few houses, some cars and a boat, cause according to the system that maximizes the total value, why question that? The system is perfect don't try to improve it, and only do something if you are getting payed to do it, get rich or die trying no matter who dies in the process. We need to protect the companies that came up with the treatment all on there own, they really to a risk and how would they get that money back if they eradicated a disease before there patent protection expires. For the grater good.🤦

[@zartesnilpferd6778]

I love your videos (been doing it for several years now

[@FantasticOtto]

They represent a quick overview of the spread of pandemics. As long as the Americas are the left of Europe and Asia is to right, they are good enough, as the location of individual countries is irrelevant in this context.

[@nilsp9426]

The sad thing is that some of the deaths would be preventable simply by opening up patents from already wealthy corporations. The Covid Vaccine was a particularly egregious example: there would have been serious capacities in some countries to produce it, but they had to buy it instead. Meanwhile some nations who donated vaccine doses to other nations even portrayed themselves as benevolent, even though they had the power over these patent laws. For profit pharma corporations surely are important to develop vaccines and should be given a fair price. But when the production cannot keep up anyways, or the lives need saving in a region not rich enough to buy the pharmaceuticals, I think it is simply unjust to ban others from producing the much-needed doses.

[@CahyaSeptiyani]

If patent is not established, no one will be motivated enough to research and put the time and efforts needed to make it happen. It needs MONEY, RESOURCES, and SCARCE CAPITAL, of course they have to be rewarded by the parents.

[@ireneqq2300]

i summon john green to tell us about TB

[@tianoyes656]

i appreciated the dysentery sound effect😂 toot toot

[@georgereyes3321]

Thx for this video I'm learning alot because I'm a grade 5 student thx for all of the lessons Ted Ed and pwease pin me!!!

[@Proman2520]

That map gap between Gibraltar and Morocco is criminal

[@bluemarineboy3091]

Asia looks wierd

[@sohankamble8003]

The More I learn about struggles of people in past, the more I find myself lucky to be existing on this planet

[@fcbnena96]

Really liked the music on this video

[@0812EL]

I couldn't locate the exact song. But it's somewhere in this video of music kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoHIm42tr855pacsi=rDYtOCEmoQG2ZdEO

[@0812EL]

Just kidding I found it. But I recommended listening to the other video as well. Both songs are really good. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zoial6mnrbuVsLcsi=2ttKeUqeBo8re8CX

[@kittyaya3425]

Let’s not forget Measles, one of the most infectious viruses ever.

[@anglaispizza8179]

nice

[@-nyx.]

who else just loves Ted Ed?

[@phunkymind23]

That soundtrack reminds me of The Great British Bake Off.

[@rahulchakrabarty9083]

Ted-ed put some real effort on their sound effects.

[@K_ME_GauravMeena]

Could anyone please explain the quote at 0:04 ?

[@CahyaSeptiyani]

Should treat people suffering from the diseases INDIVIDUALLY by personalized approach, since each person has different body and immune system. If we were to treat by acknowledging the type of disease only, we are using a generalized approach, get it?

[@PLuMUK54]

I watched this whilst suffering from Covid. It didn't make me feel any better to be told that disease was worse in the past. The irony is, today I was due to get my vaccination.

[@capitan_gorgonzolazola]

Worse is an understatement, losing a generation due to disease wouldn't we to uncommon

[@CahyaSeptiyani]

Your fault for being so left behind. People have gotten vaccinated since two years ago

[@chimpinabowtie6913]

0:16 "...the illnesses they -incur- *inflict* ..."

[@shanec3098]

tuberculosis? Because if not John Green would like a word with you.

[@Cyan_Scug]

Yay I'm in the VIP club

[@mr.x4533]

Well Ted Ed In those days only rich can get cutting edge medical care it's still True Today

[@DawoodWaheed-xq6sq]

click here for more information: tinyurl.com/247hnz3f 😷

[@deadandburied7626]

Influenza?

[@bvillafuerte765]

2:59 - This clothing was created by Charles de Lorme in 1619 during his work as a plague doctor.

[@Chitose_]

if there's a sequel mention the new dog disease

[@Walterwhite_cooks]

7 years later

[@user-bn2op3xt1b]

Great video, where can we find the sources?

[@zaraghenglish]

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@FoodOnTheEarth]

The green water is like. NO! 🌝

[@RidireOiche]

Other Humans? Avarice? Stupidity? Cruelty? Inequality? An unholy concoction of all these ingredients?

[@aanngguusscclliinntt]

Fun fact: agriculture was invented a lot more than 12,000 years ago by Aboriginal people in Australia 😉

[@MisterLiverr]

Someone tell John

[@colinmccarthy7921]

There have been many diseases over the last 5000 years.Many of them have killed Humans. Over the last 100 years there have been many drugs,treatment, etc.,that has tackled these diseases.I am sure there will be many more diseases in the future.

[@DuhaMohammad]

Well, since the 7th century CE, prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) instructed us on how to control infections by saying: *"If you hear of an outbreak of plague in a land, do not enter it; but if the plague breaks out in a place while you are in it, do not leave that place."* , and *"The cattle suffering from a disease should not be mixed up with healthy cattle"* Peace be upon him, " nor does he speak out of desire. * Indeed it is not except a Revelation which is revealed" [Qur'an 53:3-4]

[@majl7917]

"I can't go out. I'm sick." Cough, cough. "Boo, you wh*re!" - Mean Girls -

[@Nogi520]

"You go Glenn Coco" 😅

[@majl7917]

@@Nogi520 "And none for Gretchen Wieners. BYE!"

[@thesharkormoriantm274]

Imagine if agriculture had never happenned, we would be living much healthier lives...

[@myspleenisbursting4825]

Don't blame things and project your disappointment of the modern Western world at the discovery of agriculture Urbanisation is to blame, and THAT PHONE

[@khaelkugler]

Wow. This might be the dumbest take I've seen in a month... Without agriculture, you realize we'd still be stuck hunting and gathering resources, living lifespans of around 20-30 years?

[@thesharkormoriantm274]

@@khaelkugler Modern-day gatherer-hunters only spend from 10 to 20 hours a week on obtaining their food, in a much more physically and mentally stimulating work ethos. Their life expectancy (not lifespan, it's not the same) is indeed around 30 years, which is no different than basically every single human society before the invention of modern medicine. Agriculture by the way increased the infant mortality and therefore decreased the life expectancy in peoples who became dependant on it, we know it because of the increase in the amount of infant burials.

[@khaelkugler]

@@thesharkormoriantm274 appreciate the correction on the expectancy/lifespan thing. But does that mean you believe it's healthier to live a shorter lifespan?

[@edchristianmonte3254]

Rifampine, Isoniazide, Pyrazinamide, and Ethambutol.

[@rafael-rossi]

It would be good to mention the anti-vaccine movement, since it's gaining ground and impeding group immunity.

[@Staingo_Jenkins]

Video interaction

[@callmethecommentcountess9329]

I like it with that’s gonna happen

[@ashorsomething3785]

This video reminded me to go get my flu shot

[@ariielle0804]

Lmao i thought there would be a shoutout to COVID

[@user-jh5gg1dz8n]

Penny sick cold fever chkpoox ❤❤

[@PipMiister]

🌻

[@marinalodi6313]

I'm so glad we have SUS (universal healthcare system) here in Brazil! This year we are going to start vaccinating people against dengue, all for free!! Viva o SUS!!

[@Kaiyanwang82]

3:02 that map is abhorrent. I closed the video in that precise moment. Open a book, and I am not talking about the lack of oceania (or americas) which is understandable in that context.

[@TheDaniela3112]

Julian Baumgartner? Is… is that you?

[@maruku4445]

WAIT! You didn't say anything about Covid!

[@mustafafahad4486]

why can i never comment as the first

[@katelynpeters1161]

😮

[@Graphomite]

Ironic that we talk about the corruption of ye olden times and cringe at such inequality, yet none of it has changed even a little bit. The rich still reap all the benefit while we get cheap scraps. And the ones in absolute poverty get absolutely nothing. Money problems.

[@planktonfun1]

pandemic is equivalent to microsoft update in humans, it makes everyones life even harder

[@fennynickie5731]

Soooo tuberculosis is the answer??

[@matrixorzo696]

Early

[@shoyohinata7621]

EARLY

[@SnowTree78]

6th YAY!

[@Astor-_-]

Gg

[@MarianneKat]

Funny enough, effective medical care is a recent phenomenon and the rich only got better due to better home, food, and the ability to maintain this when not working. Otherwise one could argue medical care harmed more than helped.

[@-JA-]

🫢👍

[@somebody759]

I thought the thumbnail was a chicken or chick with a hole in its stomach and someone was poking around it

[@saladien9987]

Putting cov19 on the list at the beginning is an insult to the really serious diseases

[@1luvAdriana]

Did anybody else hear the diarrhea noise?

[@chayimadinaandyael]

Accessible to all means also to hostages held by terrorist organizations!

[@DawoodWaheed-xq6sq]

gg

[@Therealtuxedo]

Where’s covid?

[@dude6046]

very cool but im faster than a disease

[@carn5haun343]

Main stream media

[@generalfishcake]

People who liked this video also enjoyed: Das Kapital

[@thatlibrarian2004]

I'm confused about why they they didn't talk about COVID tho

[@didiaskfr]

0:26 and covid is now not history so

[@israelmartinezjr3380]

Because COVID is nothing compared to TB, HIV, Yersinia in the history of mankind

[@grzegorzdziedzic9592]

Not topical anymore.

[@Samrtfirdeg]

I am confused why they didn't talk about syphilis or hiv.

[@silvergamer7250]

It wasn’t as deadly as others

[@rushc5]

I know one that won’t be on here. 😂

[@Edmund.]

damn asia

[@geraldsonofgod]

Seriously? This video is nine days old and he did not even addressed the only worldwide pandemic that affected everywhere in the world, COVID-19.

[@JimmmyRaynor]

we wuz kangz!!! *still dying from basic third world problems*

[@kookieninja5190]

First

[@thesharkormoriantm274]

It's funny how the video talks about "progress" when actually with every new invention (agriculture, urbanisation, industry) health became worse.

[@ianjaydelosangeles3173]

And yet people say there is a all powerful God that loves us. f that lol

[@MohAmeDALArabY-cg6sr]

God loves you and takes care of you so that this message reaches you. God is the one who created this great universe and has complete control over it. And the greatest loss that a person loses in this life is that he lives while he does not know God who created him, knowing the Messenger of Muhammad, the last of the messengers, and the Islamic religion, the last of the heavenly religions. The great intelligence, before you believe in something or not, is to read it, study it, and understand it well, and then you have the choice to believe in it or not. I advise you on this now before you do not have time to do that.

[@Grignard]

No

[@antonioas709]

Watch the documentary, Hypocratic Hipocrisy to learn more about this subject. Also watch the plandemic part 2

[@StudleyDuderight]

So the point of this video is socialized medicine? Am I reading that right? Ted used to be a respectable platform.

[@aarone9000]

The point is; trust science: not orange clowns!