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In the year 1348 a Russian ship moored in Genova,Italy,carried a dreaded disease called bubonic plague.At that time it was known as Black Death.It spread all over Europe like fire.

One Italian who survived the Black Death gave the chilling account of terror.

“Neither relatives nor friends,nor priests accompanied the corpses to the grave.In many places in the city,trenches were dug,very broad and deep and into these the bodies were thrown and covered with little earth;and then layer after layer the trench was full and then another trench was begun and I Igniolo di Tura with my own hand buried five of my children in a single trench and many others did the like and no bells rang and nobody wept no matter what his loss because almost everyone expected death and people said “This is the end of the world“

The Black Death, or The Black Plague, was one of the most deadly pandemics in human history, widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia pestis. It probably began in Central Asia and spread to Europe by the late 1340s. The total number of deaths worldwide from the pandemic is estimated at 85 million people; there were an estimated 20 to 30 million deaths in Europe. The Black Death is estimated to have killed between one-third and two-thirds of Europe’s population.

It has been popularly thought that the name came from a striking late-stage sign of the disease, in which the sufferer’s skin would blacken due to subepidermal hemorrhages (purpura), and the extremities would darken with gangrene (acral necrosis). However, the term most likely refers to the sense of “black” (glum, lugubrious or dreadful)

It has been found out that Bubonic plague originated from the foothills of Himalayas.

Persecutions

Lepers, and other individuals with skin diseases such as acne or psoriasis, were singled out and exterminated throughout Europe. Anyone with leprosy was believed to show an outward sign of a defect of the soul.

Differences in cultural and lifestyle practices between Jews and Christians also led to persecution. Jews were charged by some with having provoked the plague. Because Jews had a religious obligation to be clean, they did not use water from public wells. And so as previously mentioned, Jews were suspected of causing the plague by deliberately poisoning wells. Typically, comparatively fewer Jews died from the Black Death, in part due to rabbinical laws that promoted habits that were generally cleaner than that of a typical medieval villager. Jews were also socially isolated, often living in Jewish ghettos. Because isolated people were less likely to be infected, there were differences in mortality rates between Jews and non-Jews and this led to raised suspicions in people who had no concept of bacterial transmission.

Women also faced persecution during the Black Death. Within areas of the Middle East, notably in Cairo, Muslim women became scapegoats when the plague struck.[79] In 1438, the sultan of Cairo was informed by his religious lawyers that the arrival of the plague was Allah’s punishment for the sin of fornication.[80] In accordance with this theory, a law was set in place stating that women were not allowed to make public appearances as they may tempt men into sin.

In the Muslim world, particularly in Makkah, the disease was blamed on non-believers who had entered the city.

Other Effects

Liquor, originally made by alchemists, was commonly applied as a remedy for the Black Death, and, as a result, the consumption of liquor in Europe rose dramatically after the plague.

Flagellants practiced self-flogging (whipping of oneself) to atone for sins. The movement became popular after general disillusionment with the church’s reaction to the Black Death

Signs and symptoms

The three forms of plague brought an array of signs and symptoms to those infected. The septicaemic plague is a form of blood poisoning, and pneumonic plague is an airborne plague that attacks the lungs before the rest of the body. The classic sign of bubonic plague was the appearance of buboes in the groin, the neck and armpits, which oozed pus and bled. Victims underwent damage to the skin and underlying tissue, until they were covered in dark blotches. Most victims died within four to seven days after infection. When the plague reached Europe, it first struck port cities and then followed the trade routes, both by sea and land.

The bubonic plague was the most commonly seen form during the Black Death, with a mortality rate of thirty to seventy-five percent and symptoms including fever of 38 - 41 °C (101-105 °F), headaches, painful aching joints, nausea and vomiting, and a general feeling of malaise. Of those who contracted the bubonic plague, 4 out of 5 died within eight days. [41] Pneumonic plague was the second most commonly seen form during the Black Death, with a mortality rate of ninety to ninety-five percent. Symptoms included fever, cough and blood-tinged sputum. As the disease progressed, sputum became free flowing and bright red. Septicaemic plague was the least common of the three forms, with mortality close to one hundred percent. Symptoms were high fevers and purple skin patches (purpura due to DIC (Disseminated intravascular coagulation)).

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