The year is 1861, on a battlefield riddled with blood and gunfire. Slaves hide from everyone because they are afraid. Diseases spread like wildfire, like dysentery. Slaves suffered from many illnesses in the past that are very rare today in the United States. Dysentery is an example. The chances of getting one were very high if you were a slave in 1849 on a tobacco plantation in Georgia. Today, the chances of contracting dysentery in the United States are slim to none. Even if you catch it, it's easily treatable. But if you had dysentery in 1856, you would most likely die. What is dysentery? Dysentery is a disease caused by poor hygiene and contaminated water. This will give you infectious diarrhea and it will stay that way for a week or more. A week of fevers and going to the bathroom every now and then. If you lived in 2012, say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In the 1840s, a slave simply had to suffer illness and then die. Dysentery can be caused by the contaminated water that many slaves had to drink. Many other slaves who did not get the disease from the water could also get it from poor hygiene, as almost all slaves did not have good hygiene, and the spread of slave to slave, which would happen because many slaves were confined to a single cabin. Dysentery was a very common illness, but it occurred because slaves were treated very poorly. Another disease that affected many slaves was cholera. This disease was similar to dysentery, but it does not have as many symptoms as dysentery. Cholera can be caused by contaminated water containing the bacteria Vibrio cholerae. It spread easily due to poor sanitation and hygiene of slaves on plantations. Cholera can be easily treated if you go to the hospital immediately. Most slaves died because they could not receive medical care immediately. The main symptoms of cholera are watery diarrhea and vomiting, so the disease could spread like wildfire. The 1800s were not a fun time for Africans, as you can see. Most diseases would kill a slave and would also spread very easily. Another disease that spread easily was diphtheria, a throat and sinus infection. Most people who suffer from it will have a sore throat and fever. Other people who suffer from it might have a bad cough. Slaves who suffered from it would most likely have a swollen neck, making it difficult to breathe. Diphtheria would also cause slaves to bleed easily, as this disease significantly lowers their platelet levels. Because they could bleed very easily, slaves could also contract blood diseases through contact with blood. What made breathing difficult was gray matter stuck in their throats, which did not come out easily. Slaves with this disease would most likely die from blood loss and difficulty breathing. Whooping cough (whooping cough) is a disease that affects the body's lungs. It can spread easily, so slaves can catch it easily. It seems that all the diseases that slaves contract are transmitted very easily, but that is because the.