Controversy Surrounding the Symptoms of The Black Death

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Black Death is a descriptive term used to describe the initial outbreak and spread of bubonic plague in Europe, the Levant and North Africa between 1347 and 1352. Recurrent outbreaks of the plague were experienced in Europe over the next four centuries following the initial epidemic. The far reaching social and economic consequences of the epidemics have made Black Death the worst disaster in human history. However, the lack of advanced medical technology and accurate diagnosis during the period has led to controversies regarding the epidemic. There has been general consensus that the actual disease was caused by Yersinia pestis; this is because there is similarity between the bacterium and the symptoms shown in the records. On the contrary, studies have indicated the possibility of a combination of other disease in creating the epidemic. Studies have indicated that Yersinia pestis is better adapted to survive in tropical and subtropical environments and, consequently, would not thrive in the climate experienced in Europe during the time of the epidemic. This paper examines the controversies surrounding the symptoms of Black Death in Europe during the medieval period. To achieve this, the paper has been organized into three sections: the first and second section examine the biological description of both Black Death and Anthrax. Detailed description of signs, symptoms and the general morphology of the diseases are presented. The last section examines different alternative theories to the Plague theory.

Morphology and Symptoms of Black Death
There were three types of plague (all caused by Yersinia pestis): bubonic, pneumonic and septicaemic (Gotfried 9). The three types of plague have salient differences in their symptoms, spread...

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...he rodents, the rodents become a reservoir that habours the disease in between periods of outbreaks in human populations. It is noted that the flea, being hardy, could survive over a year without a host following the uncommon death of a rodent host. It is also observed that the flea was a fur flea as opposed to nest flea; meaning that it could survive in the furs of rats as well as clothing and textiles during trade movements.
It is noted that the fleas preferred cats as their secondary hosts. In the event of the death of the rodents, the fleas would depend on the secondary hosts for their survival. Many of the secondary hosts can tolerate small amounts of the bacillus in their blood streams and continue living as a host. Excessive multiplication in the system of the secondary host may cause death of the host; this precedes movement to humans as the tertiary host.

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