Definition. Rickets (in children) and osteomalacia (in adults) are two forms of a metabolic bone disease resulting from vitamin D deficiency. Both cause softening and weakening of bones because of defective or inadequate bone mineralization. Rickets. Copyright Â© Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
The flow from west to east: Disease. In terms of diseases, the Columbian Exchange was a wildly unequal affair, and the Americas got the worst of it. The flow of disease from the Americas eastward into Eurasia and Africa was either trivial or consisted of a single important infection.
Effects of the Columbian Exchange: Plants, animals, culture, humans, diseases, etc. were transferred between the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Europe and Africa gained corn, tomatoes, and potatoes. This caused a massive population booms and an increase in wealth and capitalism and a decrease in feudalism in Europe. More Africans were born too, so the slave trade really took off.