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The Black Plague Of The 17th Century

Decent Essays

The Black Plague of the 14th Century
And its effect on the European Nation
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.
Leading up to the Black Plague in Europe, there were many other plague outbreaks around it, such as the one in the East Roman empire in the sixth century. In 1348 the Bubonic Plague was introduced to the European nations from a type of bacteria called Yersinia pestis which can be carried by fleas that are on the backs of rats,

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