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Black Plague Papers

Satisfactory Essays

Derick Santos

Mr. Surina

English CP

4/6/17

The Black Plague

The Black Plague is an infectious disease that killed sixty percent of Europe. The Black Plague is caused by a bacteria called Yersinia Pestis and is found in wild rodents that live in large numbers and density. The Black Plague came in three forms, bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. They all had the same outcome which is dying in a unpleasant way. Agnolo di Tura, a chronicler, stated, "In many places in Siena great pits were dug and piled deep with the multitude of dead and there were also those who were so sparsely covered with earth that the dogs dragged them forth and devoured many bodies throughout the city" (Benedictow 4). The plague was spread by rat fleas on ships. The infected rats would die, but their fleas would usually survive to find new hosts.

One of the most frequent asked questions is how did it originate? The Black Plague or Black Death, arrived in Europe 1347 when twelve Genoese trading ships docked at the Sicilian port of Messina ("The Black …show more content…

Within the first few days of receiving the disease, the host would experience flu-like symptoms. It all started with an unbearable headache. This headache would last until you would die. Then you would develop chills and fever that would leave you feeling sore and very weak. Victims also said they experienced back pain and light was too bright for them to stand up. After experiencing these symptoms, the effects would kick in and they were traumatizing. The host would start to develop hard, agonizing lumps on their neck, arms, and inner thighs. The lumps would often expand to the size of an orange. Those lumps then turned black, split open, and then oozed blood and pus. The host would then bleed internally causing blood to be in their urine, stool, and under the skin. The blood puddling under the skin would appear all over the body. The host would have an excruciating

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