Black Plague

History

During the mid-14th century, the Black Death, a massive and deadly pandemic, swept through Eurasia, killing approximately one third of the population (according to some estimates) and changing the course

of Asian and European history. It is estimated that anywhere from a quarter to two-thirds of Europe's population became victims to the plague, making the Black Death the largest death toll from any known non-

viral epidemic. While accurate statistical data does not exist, it is estimated that 1/4 of England's population, totaling 4.2 million, died while a higher percentage of individuals likely died in Italy. Northeastern

Germany, Bohemia, Poland and Hungary, on the other hand, are believed to have suffered less while there are no estimates for Russia or the Balkans at all.

In many European cities and countries, the presence of Jews was blamed for the arrival of the plague, and they were killed in pogroms or expelled.

The Black Death continued to strike parts of Europe throughout the 14th century, the 15th century and the 16th century with constantly falling intensity and fatality, strongly suggesting rising resistance due to

genetic selection.[6] Some have argued that changes in hygiene habits and strong efforts within public health and sanitation had a significant impact on the rate of infection.

How It Spread

In the early 20th century, following the identification by Yersin and Kitasato of the plague bacterium that caused the late 19th and early 20th century Asian bubonic plague, most scientists

and historians came to believe that the Black Death was an incidence of this plague, with a strong presence of the more contagious pneumonic and septicemic varieties increasing the pace of infection,

spreading the disease deep into inland areas of the continents. It was claimed that the disease was spread mainly by black rats in Asia and that therefore there must have been black rats in north-west Europe

at the time of the Black Death to spread it, although black rats are currently rare except near the Mediterranean.