WHAT WAS THE BLACK DEATH
THE BLACK DEATH The Black Death was a pandemic contagious disease that devastated Europe in the 14th century between 1347-c1350. It is estimated by historians that the Black Death killed between 50 and 200 million people which at the time that was 30-60% of Europe's population. Why was it called the Black Death? The name resulted due to the blackish skin discolouration around the swellings. Hence the name Black death. A relatively new name the plague was called by some "The Great Mortality" The Black Death is considered that greatest human catastrophe of all time. Medical Summary: The Black Death Plague was caused by a bacterium called (Yersinia pestis) which was transmitted to humans from infected fleas who had come into contact with infected rats. The victims of the Black Death had bleeding below the skin (subcutaneous hemorrhages) which darkened ("blackened") their bodies. What is a Pandemic Disease v Epidemic Disease? A Pandemic disease is an infectious disease that has spread to human population across a large region e.g. across multiple continents or world wide. An epidemic disease is a wide spread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time. Once the Black death arrived in Europe it became an epidemic as it spread across Europe. 3 Forms in which the Black Death attacked the Human Body: The disease could attack the human body in 3 forms dependent on how the victim came in contact and contracted the disease. Bubonic: Swelling around the glands and blistering of the skin. Pneumonic: Infection of the lungs. Septicemic: Invasion of the blood stream |
THIS "DISCOVERY CIVILISATION" YOU TUBE CLIP PROVIDES A GOOD SUMMARY OF THE "BLACK DEATH"