Greater than 7,000 people have died from a recent disease outbreak named Ebola.

Greater than 25 million people have died from a medieval disease outbreak named the Black
Death. The Black Death was a series of pandemics caused by the bacillus, Yersinia Pestis. The
weather had been abnormally dry, forcing rodents and their disease-bearing fleas into greater
contact with human beings (English, 2013). There are three forms or types of the
disease: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. The most dramatic is the septicemic version
(Thompson, 2013). The first outbreak of the plague took place in Abyssinia, or modern day
Ethiopia. The plague spread through fleas that lived off rodent colonies in the Himalayan borders
between India and China. The fleas carried the bacillus. It was also carried through fluids and
droplets in the air. The Black death was named so because the skin on many of its victims turned
black, a result of massive blood clots (Thompson 2013). Many people died very quickly after
noticing symptoms of the plague. The numerous deaths from the plague led to the decrease of
deaths from disease outbreaks today.
Section 1: Starting Point
The plague was spread by a disease cause bacterium called Yersinia Pestis. The earliest
widespread of the plague was in Abysinnia. It was largely affected by weather. The weather was
very dry at the time. This caused humans and rodents to be in contact with each other, leading to
the spread of the disease. The black plague referred to epidemics, which affected a large
geographical area. An epidemic is a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a
community at a particular time. A pandemic (of a disease) is prevalent over a whole country or
the world.

Section 2: Travel

The plague traveled and spread quickly over a long period of time. It travelled through
fleas who received it from contact with fluids in the air. Contagion with bacillus appears to have
been a permanent feature of rodent colonies in the Himalayan borderlands between India and
China. Similar colonies were also found in central Africa, the fleas lived off colonies of these
rodents (Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Society, Vol. 1). The plague also spread
through warfare and armies travelling, In 1346 a Mongol prince and his armies attempted to lay
siege to Caffa, in the Crimea. However, the soldiers were stricken with this dreadful disease and
withdrew, but not before catapulting infected corpses over the city wall. The Christian defenders,
who thought they were now safe from attack, left to return home but perished from the plague.
The few who reached home spread the disease throughout Europe and as far north as Greenland
(Thompson, 2013). Justinians army also spread the plague along borders.
Section 3: Social and Medical Aspect
There are three forms or types of the disease: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic, the
worst or most sever form was the septicemic (Thompson 2013). The pneumonic plague,
resulting as a complication of the bubonic type and as an invasion of the lungs by the bacterium,
making the bubonic form of the disease was the least severe, spread from person to person
without the intermediary transference by fleas (Kohn, 2007). Victims of the plague suffered
comas, violent behavior, paranoia and suicidal thoughts. The reason behind the name black
death came from the symptoms of the disease, The Black Death was so named because the
skin on many of its victims turned black, a result of massive blood clots (Thompson, 2013).
Many victims of the plague died soon after receiving the disease due to DIC, Immense numbers
of bacteria cause DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation), a condition where there is so
much debris in the bloodstream, the blood hemorrhages under the skin and the afflicted person's

body, or parts of it, becomes black. These victims died almost immediately, within one to three
days after they showed symptoms of the disease (Thompson, 2013).
The plague caused many societal impacts wherever it struck. Society lost optimism and
social classes began to fight. Work decreased and wages increased for a short period of time.
Knowing only that they could be struck without warning at any time, people were terrified,
society was terrified due to lack of knowledge of the plague (Kohn, 2017). Society tried to blame
the strike of the plague on several things, The plague was attributed to any and all of the
following: corrupted air and water, hot and humid southerly winds, proximity of swamps, lack of
purifying sunshine, excrement and other filth, putrid decomposition of dead bodies, excessive
indulgence in foods (particularly fruits), God's wrath, punishment for sins, and the conjunction of
stars and planets. Religious fanatics asserted that human sins had brought the dreadful
pestilence the plague was blamed on cripples, nobles, and Jews, who were accused of
poisoning the public wells and were either driven away or killed by fire or torture (Kohn, 2007).
Due to lack of knowledge of medicine, the plague or the unexplainable was interpreted to be
religion related. People came to racist and sexist conclusions to explain the plague.

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