[Frumious Bandersnatch]

The so-called near-extinction of Amerindians due to European disease is somewhat mythological. While there are known cases where tribes were either annihilated or decimated by smallpox (a prime factor in the defeat of the Aztecs was their inability to follow up their victory in the defeat of the Spaniards due to a smallpox epidemic sweeping their city), the disease factor was generally not even close to being a decisive factor amongst the greater part of the native population. And if disease was such a factor, then why didn't native diseases wipe out the Europeans?

[m1911]

The explanation I always heard was that since Europeans had lived with smallpox for much longer, survival of the fittest had raised the level of resistance.

[m1911]

Nevermind, I misread your post. Dunno, maybe there weren't any Amerind diseases that the Euros didn't already have? Beats me why it didn't happen, regardless of the smallpox question. Of course, given the survival rate of the first couple rounds of American settlers, maybe it did happen.