pathogens

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Gluttony Day Pandemic Edition

“Hail Gluttony!”—Pandemic Edition

Today in the U.S. many will celebrate the secular holiday called “Thanksgiving.” Due to the currently surging pandemic, some traditions must be curtailed. It originated as a harvest festival and the ubiquitous imagery has been inspired by legends about Calvinist separatist Pilgrims who emigrated in 1620 from The Netherlands to the “New World.” These staunchly Christian folks supposedly included, now and again, select nearby indigenous pagans in their festivities. However, the interactions between the European immigrants and the Native Americans were often quite negative. Various virulent pathogens were unknowingly brought to North America which, in many situations, devastated the local […]