The Black Death

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The Black Death took place in Europe during the fourteenth century. To the people of the time, facts about the disease were unknown until people started to notice problems that other people were having. The Black Death or “plague” that killed thousands in the fourteenth century may have evolved into a more modern version of itself. The “plague” is known as the “Yersinia pestis” bacteria, which is a rare zoonotic disease. These diseases are spread from animal to human (Newquist 239, Adamloakun M.D. 718). The bacterium lives in rodents such as rats and is carried by fleas (Newquist 238). When the fleas bite humans, the bacterium spreads. There are three types of the plague, which include the bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic plagues (Newquist 238-239). The bubonic plague attacks the lymph glands while traveling through the lymphatic system. This causes the lymph nodes to swell and become inflamed. These “nodes” appear as buboes: blotchy, red, large, and large painful manifestations. There is a sixty percent chance of death with this plague inside the body (238). The pneumonic plague requires no fleas to spread the disease because it travels in the air (Newquist 239). This bacteria lives inside the lungs, destroying tissue (239). The lungs fill with liquid and is spread when infected people cough (239). There is two to four days left of living when this disease is in the body. The septicemic plague travels through flea bites and spreads into the human body like the bubonic plague. The difference is the disease travels through the bloodstream, attacking the entire body. When this bacteria attacks the body, it causing internal bleeding, coughing up blood, fever, chills, stomach pain, and shock. Death comes within twenty-four ... ... middle of paper ... ...During the Black Death. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2006. Cohen, Jennie. “Is the Black Death the Ancestor of All Modern Plagues?” A&E Television Networks. 19 Feb. 2014. Ibeji, Dr. Mike. “Black Death.” BBC History. 19 Feb. 2014. “Is the Plague a Health Problem Today?” eMedTV 2 March, 2014. Newquist, H.P., and Rich Maloof. This Will Kill You: A Guide to the Ways in Which We Go. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2009. “Plague.” MedlinePlus. 2 March, 2014. “Plague, The Black Death.” National Geographic 19 Feb. 2014.

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