The Black Death: Bubonic Plague’s Worst Disaster

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.

http://ponderosa-pine.uoregon.edu/students/Janis/menu.html Abstract Bubonic plague has had a major impact on the history of the world. Caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis, and transmitted by fleas often found on rats, bubonic plague has killed over 50 million people over the centuries. Burrowing rodent populations across the world keep the disease present in the world today. Outbreaks, though often small, still occur in many places. The use of antibiotics and increased scientific knowledge first gained in the 1890s have reduced the destruction of plague outbreaks.

Around as early as 542 AD, a deadly disease broke out in Constaniople and quickly spread around the world within a few hundred years. This disease in considered the worst natural disaster in history. The Bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, is historically the disease that has caused the most deaths and caused China, Europe, and India to shortly stop trade altogether. History has been filled with many disasters. The Bubonic plague has been responsible for three of those disasters.

The Black Death The Black Death was undoubtedly one of the most devastating diseases that occurred during the middle ages. The Black Death, also known as the Bubonic Plague, was a world-wide epidemic that caused the death of more than 20 million people throughout Europe (Velenzdas). The people of this time period were clueless as to the cause of the plague, but were well aware of the tell-tale symptoms that accompanied infection. There were many "cures" for the outbreaks, however it is known that only a small percentage proved successful. Although the Black Death is deemed by many to be the most devastating pandemic in history, some consider it to have ultimately led to the Renaissance by starting a revolution in the arts and sciences (Cantor 22-23).

Although it is tempting to dismiss this pathogen as only active in outbreaks like the Black Death, and despite that the medical community found solutions to plague, plague continues to threaten those who live in areas of poor housing and sanitati... ... middle of paper ... ...f Person-to-Person Transmission of Pneumonic Plague.” Healthcare Epidemiology. 27 July, 2006. 15 April, 2005. . Kopp, Elizabeth, and Medzhitov, Ruslan. “A Plague on Host Defense.” The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Another form...in which boils erupt under the armpits, a third form in which people of both sexes are attacked in the groin.” In Conclusion, The Black Death is one of the worst disasters to ever sweep across Europe. Its effect were known worldwide, even though it was hitting the hardest in Europe. The plague affected Europe in many different ways whether they were bad or good. Even though there was more food and land as a result of it, the plague was absolutely devastating to Europe by knocking out about one-third of its population. The plague should be known today as the worst disease to ever hit, not only Europe, but the world and it should never be forgotten.

Others might know it as The Great Mortality, The Pestilence, or the Pest (Barnard 4). This microscopic creature started a crisis of the late middle ages that brought entire ruling powers to their knees. It caused social and political systems turmoil and to stifle and tested morals and religious principles (Gottifred The Black Death). It killed 50% of its victims and in the end 25 million people, one-fourth of Europe’s population, were gone (Walker 1) all in a matter of twenty-one years, 1331 to 1357. The plague was a devastating epidemic that not only killed millions of people but also destroyed entire civilizations.

The plagues killed a large percentage of each generation, leaving room for change. The Black Death covers the affects that numerous plagues had on the culture. The cycle of the plagues struck each generation. After a plague ravaged Europe from 599-699, plague killed in 608, 618, 628, 640, 654, 684-686, 694-700, 718, and 740-750. In the early stages of the above series, intervals are apparent.

This disease kill over 75 million people, thats 1/3 of europe's population. This disease was actually a bacteria that lived in black rats. The way this disease spread to humans was because if fleas. The fleas bit the infected black rat and then jumped its way to the human victim and bit them("Plague”). The black death spread very quickly, if you were infected and coughed on somebody else that person will know that he/she will be dying or dead by the end of week("Plague”).

“The epidemic ravaged the population for the next five years, killing more than 20 million people in Europe, almost one third of the continent’s population” (Plague, 2). Yersinia Pestis is a bacterium found in fleas that can be transferred to host rats and can eventually be spread to humans. Antibiotics, immunizations, and other medical treatments weren’t available during the Middle Ages, so there was not ... ... middle of paper ... ...scoveries were made despite the adversary faced by the people, particularly in the medical field. The generations following the age of the plague have benefitted, to an extent, from the goodness that has stemmed from such an evil. Works Cited Carmichael, Ann.