Diffusion of Diseases in the Western Interior of Canada, 1830-1850

Author's Abstract:

"The records of the Hudson's Bay Company are examined and the patterns of diffusion of a series of epidemics that occurred in the Western Interior of Canada between 1830 and 1850 are outlined. The patterns of diffusion clearly show that fur company supply brigades were the primary carriers of disease. The extent to which a given epidemic spread was largely determined by the contagiousness of the disease and the timing of transmission. Diseases that broke out during the summer generally spread more widely than did those that erupted in winter because of the spatial clustering of Indian populations during the summer and the movement of supply brigades between districts at that time of the year."