Abstract This paper analyses the various effects of the introduction of new diseases to the Pacific. It contains accounts of various epidemics and their effects and consequences for both island populations and foreigners. History, politics, and science combine to provide an interesting and informative evaluation of early European involvement in the Pacific.
From the Paper "While the impact of yaws in Tahiti cannot be attributed to Europeans, the spread of this disease to certain other communities, as well as the introduction of syphilis and gonorrhoea to most island groups, is indisputably the fault of these voyagers. While venereal disease had little impact on mortality, it was responsible for lowered natality. The importance of syphilis was not generally high due to the presence of yaws. Gonorrhoea, on the other hand, often renders sterile those unfortunate women who contract it and thus played a significant role in the depopulation of certain communities, including those of Tahiti, Hawaii, and New Zealand Maori. "So long as venereal diseases were widespread [...] populations could not recover." "
