Bubonic Plague: The Black Death

End of a Paradigm, Samuel K. Cohn Jr. argues that the Black Death of 14th century Europe was not the same illness as the bubonic plague. To help illustrate his argument, Cohn compared the Black Death of 14th century Europe to the agent of the bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis, which was discovered in Hong Kong

All throughout history nations all over the world have dealt with deadly diseases, but one in particular brought out the fear in the nations of Europe, the bubonic plague or as others call it, the black death. During the thirteenth century, medicine was not as developed as it is now, causing England to suffer more than others. According to Cantor (2002) the European nations encountered the bubonic plague in its most brutal state during 1348 to 1349, taking out about a third of Europe’s population (pp. 6-7). He continues on by claiming that one big question to this event was whether or not the plague was the full cause to the loss of lives or if there was another cause along with it (p. 11). Cantor (2002) also explained that the reason the black plague stopped in Europe around the eighteenth century could possibly have been from an introduction to a new species of rats, the gray rat (p. 13). Even though there is controversy based around the plague being spread by rats and how it was stopped by isolation, it may have taught countries useful strategies and ways to grow stronger.

A 1200 census stated that the Chinese population was close to120 million inhabitants. By 1393, their population dropped to around 62 million. Before long, the disease causing this drop in populace migrated into Europe. A diseased person would get a high fever, cold sweats, experience weakness, have migraines, and buboes (swollen, tender and painful lymph nodes) would appear. Without warning, buboes would spread to every lymph node in the body and blood would start to puddle under the skin. The skin then turned black and died. In its final stages, the victim had respiratory failure, went into shock, and died a slow, painful death. As described in this quote by Matteo Villani, “It was a plague that touched people of every condition,

The Bubonic Plague was likely the first semi-global pandemic that rightfully merits the name which means affecting all people. The period of time in which the disease wreaked havoc was also known as the “Black Death." Alexandere Yersin was a French bacteriologist and discovered the bacteria in Hong Kong This diabolical disease is characterized by both positive and negative outcomes for the few people that managed to survive the plague. The total number of people who died subsequently of the disease are not known. The total number of deaths ranged from twenty to fifty million people. Many, grotesque, unpleasant characteristics are associated with the Black plague. Scientists now understand that the Black Death was spread by a bacillus known as Yersina Pestis. The dominant carrier of the disease was the "black" rat. Other rodents located in central Asia could have also contributed to the disease spreading. A French biologist discovered the germ during the nineteenth century. Recently Dr. Jahannes Krause has been able to do some "molecular fishing" and extract the remaining plague fragments, and DNA from the tooth enamel of excavated remains from the 1300 's. There are three types of the infection. The manifest through buboes (boils) with unpleasant smelling odors, and spots on the skin. Swollen, inflamed lymph nodes in the armpits and groin would appear. The lymphatic system is a major contributing factor to one 's immune system and general health condition.

The rhyme, Ring Around the Rosie has been seen as a happy children’s game for centuries. However, in reality, this song alludes to the dreadful and painful plague during the Elizabethan era in England, giving humankind a sense of deaths remorseful guilt. Yersina Pestis, the bacterium causing the plague first reached England through trading ships, and continued to quickly spread through fleas and rats. Victims of the bubonic plague would face gut wrenching symptoms ultimately leading to death. These deaths resulted in major population decline, and abandonment of villages and farms causing disrupt to the Feudal system. Rigor of the black plague is clearly seen through acquiring knowledge of the spread, symptoms, and after effects of this damaging disease.

The black death was a great pestilence that killed over 50 million people in the 1300’s. This paper will go through the origin of the black death, the symptoms of the different types of plague, and the treatments, old and new, that people have tried.

“Some victims reportedly went to bed healthy and died in their sleep” (Gale). This terrible epidemic is known all over the world for it’s deadly and unique characteristics. The diffusion, history, and cure are just a couple universal aspects that contribute to the well known, yet unforgiving disease known as the Bubonic Plague.

Many people oftenly know about the nursery rhyme Ring Around the Rosie , but what most people don't know is that is directly related to the Bubonic Plague and the sudden death of around 43 thousand people. Each line of the famed nursery rhyme is referring to the transmission, living condition, and approximately how many died during the height of the infection (Berry). One can infer from the popular nursery rhyme that the Bubonic Plague is anything but Sunshine and Posies.

Many epidemics have struck the earth and caused the death of millions. The Black Plague was one of the most catastrophic epidemics to have ever existed. The plague overtook Europe in 1347, infecting a large portion of Europe’s population until the early 1350s. The bacteria that had induced the plague were found in fleas, which resided on the bodies of rats and spread to other animals. The plague overwhelmed Europe so rapidly that countries were left helpless against the disease. The efforts to cure the Black Plague in Europe were unsuccessful due to the insufficient treatment, limited prevention, and the unsanitary conditions of the people in the 14th century.

The plague didn’t only affect people directly by sickness. Around the world, word of the plague spread from culture to culture. The children’s poem Ring Around the Rosie, is said to be about the plague. It is thought to have originated in England during the plague of London. The line “Ring around the Rosie” is about the swelling on the infected people’s skin. The Rosie is supposed to have been the reddish color surrounding the swelling, or the rash. The second line “pocket full o’ posies”, correlates with the flowers which were often held to ward off the plague’s smell.

Normally people infected die within 5 days in some cases overnight. After the victim is bitten

The moniker ‘The Black Death’ came from a symptom where skin becomes black and begins to die. However there were dozens of other symptoms which appeared, the most famous being swelling of the lymph nodes, called buboes. There were three actual types of plague, all with different symptoms. Buboes appeared with cases of the Bubonic type of plague, leading physicians to a fast diagnosis. Septicemic plague was often a second stage to the untreated bubonic plague, but not always. The skin turned black and rotted away, and there was often internal bleeding. Lastly there was pneumonic plague, which lead to internal bleeding, especially in the lungs, respiratory failure and pneumonia, and came from untreated bubonic forms of the disease. Septicemic and bubonic forms were only contagious from the bite of infected fleas or handling an infected animal, blood borne transmission. Pneumonic plague was the only type which could be spread person-to-person, by inhaling droplets coughed up

During the 14th century Europe was infected with a devastating illness that caused a death toll in the tens of millions. The consequence of the Black Death had a major impact on the history of the European nations. Not only did they lose many lives, but also their social and economical lives would be altered forever. During the period of the Black Death relations among upper class, lower class, and divine authority took a turn for the worst. The disease spread through many ways and in all directions. Peasants, middle class, and even royalty were affected. The lack of knowledge concerning the plague made people turn to the Church for answers. However, with the death toll

The Black Death spread throughout Europe producing one of the deadliest and most widespread pandemics in history. This disease arrived in Europe, in October 1347, as 12 Genoese ships docked in hope to trade silk and spices. As the town’s people gathered on the docks to greet these ships after their long journey across the Black Sea, they encountered an unimaginable surprise! Upon the ships most of the sailors were dead. Individuals described these sailors as being covered with “mysterious black boils that oozed blood and pus” (“Black Death”). These ships intending to trade instead passed a new disease, thus the illness of the “Black Death” was born. The plague continued to spread quickly across Europe as these trade ships traveled to vast regions including China, India, Persia, Syria and Egypt.

‘The Black Death ‘was initiated in the 14th century by infected rats that had Yersinia pestis (that causes bubonic plague) inside them, it passes onto the fleas and the fleas transfer it onto humans to give them the plague (‘The Black Death’). Rats went onto the tradesmen’s ships which travelled around to sell items etc, the tradesmen and multiple people with them would catch the disease very quickly and spread it around the world, it first initiated in Messina. When it first effected Europe it caused a lot of plagues into their system, for example the bubonic plague; got carried around by the germ of the fleas, infected humans which formed ring shaped marks with dark centred spots on their arms, necks, armpits and groin. They called it buboes, 70%