Finally, there were about twenty-five million dead in Western Europe. The Middle Ages became so depopulated that the economy changed. In the economy laborers demanded more pay, meanwhile changing their work status. All over was widespread poverty because of the merchants raising their prices heavily. In conclusion the virus that had raged its way through Europe was so deadly, virulent and lethal that victims were reported to go to bed healthy and died in their sleep.
People began to doubt God and do things their own way. They became frustrated with questions as to why God would let this happen. As the death toll from the plague became higher and higher, people became really sad and depressed from losing friends and loved ones. As jobs were more available after the start of the plague, people began to make more money, but food and taxes also became more expensive. As prices rose, so did the peasants tempers.
The Black Plague changed the world in several different ways. It resulted in medical advances and architectural setbacks. In the 1300's one of the most fearful and deadliest diseases known to humans erupted somewhere in Central Asia; the Black Plague. It came to England in 1348 and for over three centuries the Black Plague remained a continual fear in the everyday life of citizens in Europe. The Plague struck first along the northern edge of the Black Sea in 1348, where it killed and estimated eighty eight thousand people in less than three months.
What is the Bubonic Plague? The Bubonic Plague is a disease that is caused by a germ called Yersinia pestis. It is spread to humans by fleas from infected rodents. In the 1300s, fourth of the population of Europe was destroyed. The disease causes swelling of the lymph glands (up to the size of a hens egg).
The Ships were forced to seek harbor elsewhere around the Mediterranean, which allowed the disease to spread very quickly (Truitt, 2001). This would be the beginning of a very traumatic event that would affect all aspects of European society. The Bubonic Plague generated from a bacterium called Yersina pestis, which is a one-celled organism that multiplies rapidly once inside its host and produces three types of symptoms, depending on how it is spread (Aberth, 2000). The bacterium that leads to the Bubonic Plague usually is found in the bloodstream of wild black rats. It is then posed to humans by fleas that feed on the blood of rats and then bite humans, in which the bacterium is passed into the human bloodstream (Aberth, 2000).
Have you ever wondered just what the Black Death was or what it was even like? Well, three factors that will better help you understand the Black Death are: The Black Death in Europe, The forms of the plague, and the plague then and now. In 1348, something devastating has reached the shores of Italy. Ravaging the bodies of men, women, and children was a disease called the The Black Death. About three years after the plague had struck Europe, around 25% to 50% of Europe’s population was infected with this disease.
Terrible outcomes arose when the citizens caught the Plague from fleas. The transfer of fleas to humans caused the outbreak of the Black Death. Infections that rodents caught were passed on to fleas, which would find a host to bite, spreading the terrible disease (“Plague the Black Death” n.pag.). When Genoese ships arrived back to Europe from China, with dead sailors and... ... middle of paper ... ... Works Cited Bridge, Deirde of Spean. “And a Ship Came Bearing Death.” Renaissance (Vol.1, No.4, Issue 4).
However, the epidemic first struck Europe in 1347 and ended in 1351. It hit today's England the hardest of all and it took over 400 years to regain the same population before the plague. The most memorizing part of the black plague is how quickly the disease was spread throughout the world. The epidemic was spread by infected rats. Fleas would then bite these rats and eat the infected blood.
The Black Death is now known to be spread by a flea. However, this flea was not the cause as it was the bacterium which lay in the stomach of the flea. This bacterium’s scientific name is Yersinia pestis. The main host of the flea is a rat, scientifically called Rattus rattus. Humans caught the disease because when the rats bred rapidly, it would lead to a population invasion.
It originated from southern China and went along the Silk Road. It crossed through central Asia, India and also into the middle East (Stock Vol.4). Later on, scientists found out the cause of the Black Plague to start was ships and carriers, which had rats onboard that were infested by fleas. India was deeply affected by this, resulting in 13 million deaths (Wells 1097). The most common disease during the Black Plague was the bubonic plague.