Black Death
Origin and Spread
The Black Death, also known as the Pestilence and the Great Mortality, was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. The disease is believed to have originated in the dry plains of Central Asia, where it travelled along the Silk Road with merchants and warriors. The disease was likely transmitted via fleas on black rats that infested the merchant caravans and the armies of the Mongol Empire. From there, it spread to the Crimea and into Europe, carried by fleas living on the black rats that traveled on all merchant ships.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
The symptoms of the Black Death included fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, terrible aches and pains, and then, in short order, death. The typical form of the disease was the Bubonic Plague, characterized by the swelling of the lymph nodes. These swellings, or buboes, would appear in the groin or armpit, and occasionally on the neck. The buboes were at first red, then turned a dark purplish, or black color, hence the name Black Death. The other forms of the disease were the Pneumonic and Septicemic Plagues, both of which were almost always fatal.
Impact on Society
The Black Death had profound effects on Medieval society. It caused widespread terror and resulted in severe depopulation, leading to profound social and economic changes. The sudden scarcity of cheap labor provided an incentive for landlords to compete for peasants with wages and freedoms, an innovation that, some argue, represented the roots of capitalism, and the shift from feudalism to modern society.
Medical Response and Treatment
The medical response to the Black Death was the beginning of what is now known as public health. The authorities implemented measures that included quarantine, sanitation, and the burning of contaminated areas. These measures were forerunners to similar actions taken during modern pandemics. The Black Death also led to the development of a branch of medicine dedicated to the study of plague, known as plague doctoring.
Legacy
The Black Death marked an end of an era in Italy, its impact was profound and it resulted in wide-ranging social, economic, cultural and religious changes. These changes, directly and indirectly, led to the emergence of the Renaissance, one of the greatest epochs for art, architecture, and literature in human history.