Bubonic plague is widely thought of as the cause of one of
the deadliest pandemics in history, the Black Death. Between 1348 and 1350, the
plague swept through the Mediterranean and Europe and was theorized to have
stemmed from Central Asia by merchant ships.
Black Death Pandemic
The Black Death is estimated to have reduced the world's
population from about 450 million to between 350 and 375 million in 1400.
During this time, 30-60% of Europe's
population was killed. The widespread disease was characterized by buboes, a
swelling in the lymph nodes; this characteristic is similar to properties of
the bubonic plague and is therefore considered the disease that killed so many
people.
How is the Bubonic
Plague Spread?
Bubonic plague is caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis and is generally spread
by fleas, which use animals like rats to infect large amounts of people. People
infected with bubonic plague exhibit buboes in the groin, neck, and armpits,
which ooze and bleed. Most victims of the disease would have a thirty to
seventy-five percent chance of dying and would typically have less than a week
to live.
Other Versions of Yersinia Pestis
Another form of this bacterium is pneumonic plague. This
disease was also commonly seen during the Black Death and had a high mortality
rate in the nineties. At first, symptoms include fever, cough, and bloody
phlegm. Eventually the sputum becomes bright red and free-flowing as the
disease progresses.
The least common of the three forms of the plague is
septicemic plague, which causes the victim to become nauseous, have high fevers,
and causes purple skin patches. The mortality rate of this plague is very close
to one hundred percent.
Part 2 of this series will discuss the difference between
the bubonic plague and the pneumonic plague and relate it to the deaths
currently occurring in Ziketan,
China. The
origins of the current outbreak will also be speculated.
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubonic_plague
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septicemic_plague
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumonic_plague
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Re: Black Death and the Three Deadly Plagues (Part 1)
