the Bubonic Plague: Origins and Impacts

The Bubonic plague should be remembered as a turning point in the history of the entire world to some degree. Certainly Europe was vastly different as a result of the plague and its effects on population, social status and ecology of the continent as a whole. It has been estimated that over a third of the population of Europe was killed by the plague between the years of 1347 to 1350. More or less halting the agricultural industries and bringing an end to the feudal class systems that were in place at the time.

The Bubonic plague was thought to have originated from central Asia, and killed nearly as many people there as well as in Europe. It was spread around my merchant ships returning from Asia, and who then visited the various European states to trade. It was thought to have originated in rats and fleas native to Asia, but before long it had spread to the black rats that commonly inhabited European ships of the time. From here it could easily spread to people, because the majority of people at the time had both fleas, and rats in their houses.

The mortality rates in some areas were as high as 80%, and doctors were baffled. They couldn't see how the disease was being transmitted, and couldn't work out why the healthy and the already ill were affected to the same degree. With most diseases of the time, the rich and healthy were much less likely to be affected. Generally because of much better sanitary conditions and the fact that they had a better diet than the peasants. However the plague was different, is struck seemingly without regard, and would infect and kill the rich and poor alike.

There were two different strains of the plague at the time. The Bubonic plague was characterized by black discoloration of parts of the skin, and then boil like swellings that would develop on the victims body. Particularly around the groin, neck and armpits. The swellings wept and oozed, and did not respond to any conventional treatments of the time. It was transmitted from the bite of infected fleas, which at the time, most people tended to have. Most victims died within about a week of having been infected from this strain.