In this engaging and exceedingly well written volume Alfred W. Crosby, Jr. offers six diverse essays on how the post-Columbus interchange of life forms between the Old World and the New World permanently disrupted and damaged the delicate ecological balance of both areas. Confronted with such a vast subject the author wisely concentrated on three major themes—the interchange of (1) diseases, notably syphilis, smallpox and measles, (2) food crops, especially maize, beans, wheat, potatoes, and manioc, and (3) domestic animals, chiefly cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, and goats. The data are presented within a regional framework. More information is provided for Latin America than any other region, but varied examples are also drawn from the history of the United States and Canada, Europe and Africa, and even some are included on the impact of New World life forms on the Orient. Within the Latin American area Mexico, the Andean region, and the West Indies receive the most attention. Surprisingly, however, the largest country of Latin America, and the one with the most numerous flora and fauna—Brazil, of course—receives short shrift. Not a single work in Portuguese is cited in the lengthy bibliography, although some Brazilian works are used in translation.
As would be expected, the author demonstrates that the Columbian exchange could be either beneficial or damaging depending on the time, place, and circumstance. Certainly the dispersion of lethal diseases such as syphilis and smallpox was a disaster for all concerned, but both the Old World and the New World benefitted enormously from the increased variety and availability of both vegetable and animal foodstuffs. Yet the positive good of augmented health and lengthened life span of hundreds of thousands of individuals on both sides of the Atlantic must be weighed in the balance against the negative consequences of the world-wide population explosion, and it is obvious that the Columbian exchange contributed mightily to both sides of this social equation. The author’s own closing assessment of the permanent meaning of the Columbian exchange is both ominous and pessimistic. He writes: “it has left us with not a richer but a more impoverished genetic pool. We, of all the life on this planet, are the less for Columbus, and the impoverishment will increase” (p. 219).
The factual basis of this book is very solid and reliable. This reviewer failed to discover a single historical or scientific error of any consequence. It is possible, however, that some readers might wish to challenge or at least debate some of the author’s frequent and occasionally quite broad generalizations. The following examples may be cited: “The Bible was the source of most wisdom [in sixteenth-century Europe]” (p. 10), “When Columbus arrived, even the most advanced Indians were barely out of the Stone Age” (p. 21), “The most important changes brought on by the Columbus voyages were biological in nature” (p. xiv), and “The European immediately set about to transform as much of the New World as possible into the Old World” (p. 66). Those students of Brazil who are familiar with the idea of As brasis (the Brazils) and with the rich and frequent partisan regional history of that country might quibble with Crosby’s statement “There is one and not two Brazils” (p. no). It is more likely, however, that most readers will find Crosby’s generalizations and apt phrase-making as more thought provoking than questionable. They are also certain to find this book eminently interesting and readable, and they will appreciate the author’s skill in condensing and synthesizing data from a great array of historical, cultural and medical sources. The Columbian Exchange is an innovative and important book and hopefully it will not be overlooked because it does not fit neatly into traditional disciplinary categories.
