The Black Death in Medieval Europe Essay - 1612 Words

The Black Death in Medieval Europe The Bubonic Plague, more commonly referred to as the Black Death, ravaged Europe between the years 1347 and 1350 (Herzog, 2000). During this short period, according to Herzog (2000), 25 million people (which were about one third of Europes population at the time) were killed. In another article, Herlihy (1997), however, claimed that two thirds of Europe’s population were killed. Nevertheless, it is ascertained that thousands of people died each week and dead bodies littered the streets. Once a family member had contracted the disease, the entire household was doomed to die. Parents abandoned their children, and parent-less children roamed the streets in search for food. Victims, delirious with†¦show more content†¦As a parting shot, â€Å"the Mongol commander loaded a few of the plague victims onto his catapults and hurled them into the town† (Nelson, 1995, par. 13). Some of the merchants according to Nelson (1995) â€Å"†¦left Kaffa for Constantinople as soon as the Mongols had departed, and they carried the plague with them† (par. 13). It spread from Constantinople along the trade routes, causing tremendous mortality along the way (Nelson, 1995). How the disease was transmitted was further looked on by Nelson (1995). According to the said author, the disease was transmitted primarily by fleas and rats. The stomachs of the fleas were infected with bacteria known Y. Pestis. Nelson held that â€Å"the bacteria would block the throat of infected fleas so that no blood could reach their stomachs, and they grew ravenous since they were starving to death† (1995, par. 14). The bacteria would then attempt to suck up blood from their victims, only to disgorge it back into their preys bloodstreams (Nelson, 1995). Now, however, the victims blood was mixed with Y. Pestis. Fleas infected rats in this fashion, and the rats spread the disease to other rats and fleas before dying (Nelson, 1995). Without rodent hosts, the fleas then migrated to the bodies of humans and infected them in the same fashion as they had the rats . The disease according to Nelson (1995) appeared in three forms (refer to footnote) . â€Å"The plague lasted in each area onlyShow MoreRelatedThe Black Death And Its Effect On Medieval Europe1297 Words   |  6 Pages​The Black Death had profound effects on Medieval Europe. Although most people did not realize it at the time, the Black Death had not only marked the end of one age but it also denoted the beginning of a new one, namely the Renaissance. 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