14th Century Outbreak of the Black Plague

The Black Death is a very terrible disease that killed a large amount of people. The year that this pandemic started was 1348 and went on to last for another 12 years (history staff). This is thought to be the worst disease ever, it took more lives than any other pandemic or war before its time (Encyclopedia). The symptoms of this sickness will prove those thoughts to be correct. The first thing for most would be a headache, then chills and fever, and some more common ones were nausea, vomiting, back pain, and soreness.

In the years 1331 to 1350 all of Europe broke out in an epidemic, called the Black Death. This terrible sickness murdered about one third of all the people in Europe, it spread, and killed quickly. People’s lives were changed drastically; they were scared to go outside in fear of catching the gross disease. The Black Death spread rapidly through Europe having significant impacts on society. The Black Death started in China in 1331; it was then carried across the Asian caravan to southern Russia on merchant ships.

15 Jan. 2014. Knox, Skip E.L. "The Middle Ages." The Black Death. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

"Plague Genome: The Black Death Decoded." Nature 478.7370 (2011): 444-446. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Feb. 2014 History.com Staff, ed.

In both cases, victims very rarely lasted more than three to four days between basic infection and death, a time of intense fever and vomiting when which their lymph nodes swelled uncontrollably and eventually burst. The black death was one of the most unforgiving pandemics in human history, resulting in the fatalities of an estimated 75 to 200 million people and climaxing in Europe in 1348-50. People’s lack of knowledge for the way it spread was a major role for the black death to wipe out half of the population of Europe. Trade ships carrying rats, fleas and other animal’s infected with the bubonic plague came from Central Asia along the silk road. The ships eventually reached Europe and their deadly cargo started spreading excessively throughout the continent, affecting miniscule numbers at first but very soon reaching up into the hundreds of thousands and eventually millions.

Many feared that they will be no one to bury them as the deadly bacteria claimed its victims. It left several individuals wondering what caused the epidemic. The illness was named Black Death because of black spots it formed on the skin and the overwhelming feeling of darkness it brought. A dreadful predator was loose across Europe and medieval medicine had nothing to fight with. According to the article Plague: The Black Death, the virus “presented itself in three interrelated forms.” Bubonic variant was the most common which left its victims with swellings that appeared on neck, armpits, or groin.

“Ring around the rosy pocket full of posy.” Most people think of this as just a childhood rhyme. In reality it is a rhyme about the Black Death. The Black Death was a horrendous and infectious disease that killed millions of people in the 1300’s. This plague effect the people n Europe in such a way that people believed god and even nursery rhymes punished them were made up about it. It is probably one of the worst catastrophes that have happened in the history of medicine.

The nursery rhyme “ Ring Around The Rosy” is more than a popular song little children sing while holding hands, walking around in a circle and then falling down. The nursery rhyme refers to the Black Death, one of the worst plagues of all time (Schladweller). Known as infectious diseases that spread quickly and kill countless people, plagues have had a tremendous affect on people around the world since the beginning of time. The Black Death, also known as the bubonic plague, is a contagious bacterial infection that has killed millions of people. With the bubonic plague brutally killing one fourth of Europe in the 14th century and devastating China in the 18th century (Link), it is noted in history books as the worst plague of all times.

The Black Death of the 14th Century The Black Death began in 1348 creating one of the most horrifying pandemics to ever happen in human history. After devastating millions of people, the Black Death finally came to an end in 1350. It is believed that it originated in Central Asia, and then spread throughout the Mediterranean and Europe area. Symptoms of the bubonic plague spread quickly across Europe killing almost one-third of its population, causing a dramatic change in the peasant's religious, social, and economic life. What is the Black Death?

1320: Section 6: The Black Death. N.p., 2013. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.