The Black Death is arguably one of the worst disasters in history. It devastated Europe and other parts of the world. It caused crisis throughout Europe during the late 1340's and early 1350's. It created many problems that the Europeans could not handle. The plague effected many aspects of European life including the church, music and art, recreational time, but mainly the economy.
The plague originated in China and inner Asia but was transferred to the Europeans when a Kipchak army catapulted dead, plague-infested bodies into the town while surrounding a Genoese trading post. The disease was transmitted by Oriental Rat Fleas that were carried on the back of black rats. A flea would drink rat blood that contained the bacteria then the bacteria would multiply in the flea's gut, the gut would get clogged with bacteria then the flea would bite a human and regurgitate blood into the open wound and the human would become infected.
Swollen lymph nodes termed "buboes" caused by plag...
A scene showing monks, disfigured by the plague, b...
Illustration of the Black Death from the Toggenbur...There were three forms of the Black Death, the bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. The bubonic plague was the most common form. The symptoms included enlarged lymph nodes (around armpits, neck, and groin). Symptoms took from 1-7 days to appear. Victims were subject to headaches, nausea, aching joints, fever of 101-105 degrees, vomiting, and a feeling of illness. The pneumonic plague was the second most commonly seen form of the disease. 90%-95% of people with the pneumonic form of the plague died from it. The pneumonic plague effected the lungs by breathing in infected air that contained the bacteria. The symptoms took 1-7 days to appear and included slimy sputum tinted with blood. Sputum is saliva mixed with mucus that comes from the respiratory system. In the later stages of the disease, the sputum became free flowing and bright red. The septicemic form...