text: When asking others for their ideas and advice, one receives a myriad of varying, yet plausible answers. This is highly beneficial as one could hear advice that they would not have even thought of. Different answers derive from one's cultural background. One example would be medicine itself. In the 17th century, diseases ran rampant, especially smallpox, as there was no method of combating the virus. Europe had no cure for smallpox, and a large percent of Europe's population passed, as well as the American Indians later, who lost 50 to 90 percent of their population due to the disease. Many years of trying to find a cure for this disease failed, even when all of Europe was trying. However, a European came back from Asia (most likely China) with knowledge of inoculation. China and parts of Asia had suffered from the Bubonic Plague, and created inoculation, which today is known as vaccination. One received a small amount of the virus so one's immune system learned to fight it. This method of disease prevention was widely used in England, then in the rest of Europe. Because of the advice from another side of the world and the widespread use of this "new cure," smallpox and other viral infections were eradicated from Europe.