The plague is actually responsible for a lot of social innovation in Europe. Because there weren’t enough people to work the land, hoity-toity types had to be nicer to their serfs. Everyone was afraid that the peasants would find better working conditions and leave.

Disease = labor bargaining. Interesting, no?

I had a Ghanaian friend in high school named Esi… I think that’s Monday. (But I haven’t looked it up yet.)

One comment though on the First World/Third World dichotomy:

Don’t forget that Europe suffered terribly from infectious diseases until just a few hundred years ago. Remember bubonic plague? Some would argue that plagues of various kinds were one of the main causes of the post Roman Empire cultural decline that is sometimes called the Dark Ages. I don’t think disease is the key to the dichotomy — better agricultural environment is perhaps more important — never underestimate the impact of domesticated animals. I was just reading recently that the Maya in Central America had invented the wheel but never used it for anything practical because they didn’t have animals that could pull carts, etc. We only know they knew about the wheel because little carts have been found as children’s toys!!