Black Death the Bubonic Plague
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Woodburn, Elementary
Black Death
Nathan
April 12, 2002
Black Death
Nathan
April 12, 2002
The cause of the Black Death (Bubonic Plague) is the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The bacterium is passed from an infected rat to a non-infected rat by being bitten by a flea. The flea bites the infected rat and the germ moves into and lives in the flea's stomach. The flea's stomach becomes filled with the bacterium. The flea can no longer digest blood, when it bites a human, rat or another animal the flea throws up into the bite causing the victim to become infected with Black Death. The rat will die from the germ, but not before being bitten by another non-infected flea. This flea can then start the cycle over again. After all of the rats die in a burrow, the bacteria can lie dormant until more rats move into the infected burrows.
These new rats will become infected transmit the disease to the flea and the flea will pass it to the humans.
During the European epidemic of the bubonic plague (1345-1352). The Black Death traveled across Asia and Europe. The plague started in Kaffa, when conquered by the Tartans, the residents of Kaffa fled and carried the black plague to Europe. Italy fell to the plague by the end of 1348 and France was mostly covered. By August of 1348 the Black Death germ had infected England. Then the spread of the germ continued to Scotland, Ireland, Denmark and most of Germany.
The following table represents the approximate year of infection for the area listed.
Major Trading Region
Year of First Arrival of the Black Death
Central Asia
1338
Volga River
1345
Anatolia
1347
Lower Egypt
1347
Southern Italy
1347
Palestine
1348
Arabia
1348
Tunisia
1348
Northern Italy
1348
Iberia
1348
France
1348
England
1349
Northern Germany
1349
From www.american.edu/projects/mandala/TED/BUBONIC.HTM
The previous story is only one that tells how the Black Death moved into Europe there are many other theories about how the disease traveled. For example one theory states that: The Black Death was spread from China to Europe through the trade networks. Some were by ship and others were by land.
During the 1300's the plague spread quickly mainly due to the infestation of rats on which the disease-transmitting flea liked to feed. The infestation of rats was because of the lack of sanitary conditions. The human waste was dumped into open sewers, as was the non-eaten food. Bathes were not taken often for various reasons one being that it was believed that by washing their skin that it would open pores, which was one belief of how the disease entered into the person.
A person can get plague by being bitten by an infected flea, by direct contact with the body juices from an infected animal, by inhalation of airborne drops or particles from humans or animals. Within four to six days after exposure the human victim begins to show symptoms.
After the human is infected the bacterium moves through the bloodstream to the lymph nodes. The lymph nodes become enlarged and painful. During this time a fever starts to develop and headache, chills and extreme exhaustion follow. As the untreated bacterium continues to develop in the bloodstream a severe blood infection develops known as septicemic plague. This blood infection causes bleeding under the skin, which will look dark purple or black, the dried blood under the skin causes this. This bleeding and drying of the blood under the skin is how the bubonic plague became known as the Black Death.
The treatment for the Black Death was more damaging to the patient than help. Bleeding was a common practice during these days, a patient was bleed near the heart to remove the hot blood before it could recirculate through the body and cause more infection. Other a
