When anyone thinks of a natural disaster, he or she often imagines events such as earthquakes, droughts, floods, hurricanes, and avalanches, etc. Well, I'm here to tell you about a particular natural disaster that struck Europe from the 1300s to 1700s. Historians today call this the Black Death.
THE BLACK DEATHOne of the most devastating pandemics in human history, the bubonic plague was estimated to have taken more lives than any other natural disaster has.
Origin: In 2010, medical geneticists, after examining bodies from mass graves dating back to 1330s, suggest that all 3 waves of the bubonic plague originated from China. During this period, a list of natural disasters and plagues led to widespread famine, and not soon after the Bubonic Plague in 1331. Many speculates that the plague traveled down the silk road along with the Mongols armies.
It was recorded in Caffa, Crimea in 1947, that symptoms of the plague first appeared in Europe. The Mongol army, while seiging the city, was infected with the disease. They catapulted the infected dead bodies over the walls of the city, infecting its inhabitants. There may have been 12 Genoese ships from traders that fled the city, bringing the plague to Sicily and Southern Europe.
Contraction:
A bacteria named Yersinia Pestis was found to be the cause of the bubonic plague. Usually carried in rat fleas, humans became infected after contacts with rats. Fleas, under the effects of Yersinia Pestis, became starved, causing an increase in feeding behaviors. They often moved to humans to find a new food sources. Biting sites were entry points where thousands of Yersinia Pestis were flooded into the hosts.
Symptoms:
After 3 days of contraction, the host become ills. The bacteria attacks the lymph nodes first. The patient develops flu-like symptoms such as headaches, chills, and muscle weakness. Within 3 to 7 days, buboes or swollen lymph glands appear on necks, armpits, and thighs. Death usually comes within 12 days of exposure to the bacteria.
Death Toll:
Data varied widely from regions. Phillip Daileader, a Medieval historian, in 2007 wrote that in southern europe areas such as Italy and Southern France had 75-80% of their population wiped out by the disease where as only 20% were wiped out in England and other northern countries. However, the estimated range of lives taken is from 75 to 200 million alone in Eurasia.
Disappearance:
Since the start of the 18th century, ideas of personal hygiene and public sanitation was being developed. Rat infestations decreased. This is one of the many explanations of the plague disappearance in Europe. The last epidemic in Europe was recorded at port Marseille, France in 1720.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death
http://www.historytoday.com/ole-j-benedictow/black-death-greatest-catastrophe-ever
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=141316
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plague/basics/symptoms/con-20021610
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