Disease and Cahokia?
Some sources have mentioned that the local Indians associated the Piasa with internal diseases. Members of our research team have speculated that this was because the Chinese explorers unwittingly introduced unfamiliar, and virulent germs. This theory is not without historical precedent as is evidenced by the later and well-documented ravages of small pox and measles epidemics among native populations throughout the Americas.
Native Americans were particularly vulnerable to introduced contagions because of their type “O” blood. Individuals with “O” blood lack resistance to certain diseases, such as typhoid, that evolved in populations of greater density, such as those in Europe and Asia.
