Museum of Sydney – Gadigal Place

A Pre- and Post-Invasion Perspective

Aboriginal Health
Post-Invasion

Research Booklet

Student name: ____________________

Aim: to observe the influence of Invasion on Aboriginal

health in Australia

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 Contents

Mark off the activities as you complete them

Activity 4 must be completed last

1. Medical Files Are they Contagious?

2. The History of Smallpox Australian Perspective

3. Modern Diseases The Health Gap

4. Evolution Is this Natural Selection?

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 Medical Files – Are they Contagious?

Go to https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/symptoms/index.html
Using the Signs and Symptoms page to determine the medical needs of the patient

Patient One Details

Name

Age

Gender

Reason for visit

Does the patient’s symptoms match with a stage of development in smallpox? If so which
stage?

___________________________________________________________________________

Do you believe the patient has/had smallpox? Why or why not?

___________________________________________________________________________

If the patient has/had smallpox, are they currently contagious?

___________________________________________________________________________

As a medical professional, would you recommend the patient be allowed to leave or be

quarantined? If you are quarantining them, how long do you recommend?

___________________________________________________________________________

3
 Medical Files – Are they Contagious?

Go to https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/symptoms/index.html
Using the Signs and Symptoms page to determine the medical needs of the patient

Patient Two Details

Name

Age

Gender

Reason for visit

Does the patient’s symptoms match with a stage of development in smallpox? If so which
stage?

___________________________________________________________________________

Do you believe the patient has/had smallpox? Why or why not?

___________________________________________________________________________

If the patient has/had smallpox, are they currently contagious?

___________________________________________________________________________

As a medical professional, would you recommend the patient be allowed to leave or be

quarantined? If you are quarantining them, how long do you recommend?

4
 Medical Files – Are they Contagious?

Go to https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/symptoms/index.html
Using the Signs and Symptoms page to determine the medical needs of the patient

Patient Three Details

Name

Age

Gender

Reason for visit

Does the patient’s symptoms match with a stage of development in smallpox? If so which
stage?

___________________________________________________________________________

Do you believe the patient has/had smallpox? Why or why not?

___________________________________________________________________________

If the patient has/had smallpox, are they currently contagious?

___________________________________________________________________________

As a medical professional, would you recommend the patient be allowed to leave or be

quarantined? If you are quarantining them, how long do you recommend?

5
 Medical Files – Are they Contagious?

Go to https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/symptoms/index.html
Using the Signs and Symptoms page to determine the medical needs of the patient

Patient Four Details

Name

Age

Gender

Reason for visit

Does the patient’s symptoms match with a stage of development in smallpox? If so which
stage?

___________________________________________________________________________

Do you believe the patient has/had smallpox? Why or why not?

___________________________________________________________________________

If the patient has/had smallpox, are they currently contagious?

___________________________________________________________________________

As a medical professional, would you recommend the patient be allowed to leave or be

quarantined? If you are quarantining them, how long do you recommend?

___________________________________________________________________________

6
 The History of Smallpox: Australia Perspective

During your time in the Gadigal Place room at the Museum of Sydney, you were provided
with information about the arrival of the First Fleet and the smallpox outbreaks that
followed.

Create a scaled timeline of smallpox within Australia

7
 Modern Diseases – The Health Gap

Smallpox is not the only health problem Aboriginal people have faced since the British
Invasion. Modern times show many gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health
within Australia. Through analysis of published data, record key observations regarding this
gap. Consider how genetics and environmental factors may lead to this gap.

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8
 Evolution – Is this a form of Natural Selection?

Throughout this lesson you have learnt about smallpox as an infectious disease and the
influence it had post-Invasion on Aboriginal people, as well as differences between
Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

Use your new knowledge of Aboriginal health, in combination with you prior knowledge of
bodily responses to diseases, genetic differences and evolution to answer the following
questions

Do you believe infectious diseases act as a form of natural selection?

___________________________________________________________________________

Do you believe smallpox was used as an artificial form of selection?

___________________________________________________________________________

Explain, with evidence, why you believe infectious diseases do or do not act as a form of
natural selection.

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