5 Questions
What is estimated to be the number of people who died in the plague?
155 to 200 million
What was believed to be the primary contributor to the spread of the disease?
Rats and their fleas
What was a common treatment of the plague that may have contributed to its spread?
All of the above
What percentage of the European population had a gene that offered some immunity to the plague?
0.2%
What percentage of Caucasian Americans are estimated to have some resistance to the disease today?
15%
Study Notes
- In October 1347, 12 ships arrived at a Sicilian port, bringing the Black Death to Europe, which would eventually kill millions of people.
- The ships were met with a horrific sight, as almost all on board were dead or dying, with blackened boils and pus-filled skin.
- The Black Death was not new to Europe, as rumors of a devastating sickness had already spread from China, India, Egypt, Persia, and Syria, following trade routes.
- The disease was characterized by swelling of lymph nodes, leading to large blackish-blue lumps or egg-sized growths that festered and oozed bodily fluids.
- Symptoms included fever, pain, chills, sweating, upset stomach, and diarrhea, and death was almost always the outcome.
- The disease was highly contagious, and brief physical contact with an infected person's clothing was enough to transmit it.
- Without understanding the disease, most people were helpless to defend against it, and few areas remained plague-free.
- The bacterium Yersinia pestis infiltrated every European city, and many who appeared healthy one day could be dead a few days later.
- Those infected were often asymptomatic for the first few days, making it impossible to isolate them from the rest of society.
- The plague decimated livestock, leading to a shortage of wool throughout the continent.
- The death toll in Europe was estimated to be between 50 and 70 million, or around 30% of the population, with some sources claiming it was as high as 60%.
- Worldwide estimates range from 155 to 200 million, nearly half of the global population of 500 million.
- The plague spread quickly due to a lack of scientific knowledge, failures in medical treatment, and the contagious nature of the disease.
- The bacterium could be spread through flea or lice bites, and many animals served as hosts for the disease.
- The urban rat and its flea were believed to be the primary contributors to the spread of the disease.
- The theory is that the plague began when rats with the disease died, and their fleas looked for new blood sources, often human.
- Ships during the mid-1300s were commonly infested with rats, which thrived in the dark, moist environment.
- Some scientists propose that human fleas and lice may have been the true culprits behind the plague, rather than rats.
- The plague may not have been the only disease causing mass devastation, as anthrax spores were found in mass graves in England.
- Anthrax could have been passed through contact with sweat, saliva, or tears, or by mere skin contact.
- The treatment of the plague often failed to help and may have even contributed to the spread of the disease, such as through bloodletting and boil-lancing.- In the past, treating boils caused by the plague involved lancing or using a pointy object to drain the infected area, as leaving them untreated would lead to further growth and potentially deadly consequences.
- Failure to properly treat the boils could result in toxic shock, and even popping them could be fatal.
- The boils contained highly contagious matter, which could spread the disease further.
- In addition to lancing, other ineffective methods were used to treat the plague, including burning herbs and immersing patients in vinegar or rosewater.
- Due to the high risk of infection and death, many doctors stopped accepting patients, and some priests even refused to perform last rites.
- The European population at the time had a genetic predisposition to succumbing to the plague, with only 0.2% having a gene that offered any immunity.
- The majority of the population, 99.8%, lacked this gene and were susceptible to the disease.
- As a result of the high mortality rate, those who were susceptible to the plague did not pass on their genes, while those who had the immunity gene lived on to procreate.
- This has led to Caucasian Americans having a 15% chance of having some resistance to the disease today.
- The plague is still present in modern times, and its impact on history was significant, with one encounter wiping out large numbers of people and changing the course of history.
Learn about the spread of the Black Death, a pandemic that devastated Europe in the 14th century, killing millions of people. Discover the symptoms, transmission, and treatment of the disease, as well as its impact on history.
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