Today Greg and Jem look at disease - how illness has affected history, and how much a simple illness can change big things when it comes to the past.

The Condensed History Gems podcast is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Greg Chapman, juggler and comedy entertainer from Condensed Histories (@condensedhist) and Jem Duducu, history writer of HistoryGems (@historygems). Each week we have a half hour discussion episode, as well as a shorter ‘Fast 5’ episode featuring one of the two. Subjects range through history, from pirates to Saxons, Vikings to Victorians, and Romans to the Cold War! Find out more about the podcast at www.condensedhistories.com/gems