The Black Death: Bubonic Plague’s Worst Disaster

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The Black Death: Bubonic Plague’s Worst Disaster

It has been called “the greatest catastrophe ever.” That statement was made in reference to the Black Death which was one of many bubonic plague epidemics. Throughout history, the bubonic plague proved itself to be an extremely lethal disease. Outbreaks of the bubonic plague were devastating because of the stunning number of deaths in each of the populations it reached. The Black Death was the worst epidemic and disaster of the bubonic plague in all of history. The Black Death refers to a period of several years in which affected populations were decimated. The bubonic plague is a disease started by bacteria. The disease has horrible symptoms, and most of the victims die after getting the plague. The bubonic plague spread easily between different areas of people. The Black Death was not the first epidemic of the bubonic plague; there was another outbreak several hundred years before. It is important to understand the history of the bubonic plague and reflect upon the Black Death because plague outbreaks can still occur today.

The actual cause of the Black Death is still debated today, but most historians believe that it was the result of a plague with bacteria. The bubonic plague most likely affected humans with a bacterium that caused many problems. The bacterium that caused the bubonic plague is called Yersinia pestis. A combination of old historical records and details give some evidence that the bubonic plague was indeed caused by this bacteria. Scientists have worked to obtain even more evidence by excavations. Burial sites from the Black Death period were excavated to find the skeletons of plague victims. The skeletons were tested in order to see if the victims had be...

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...in the fields of both science and medicine, future epidemics of any disease can be handled better. When a lethal disease begins to rampage a population, research on similar epidemics can help the world contain, cure, and prevent the disease to protect the world and its population.

Bibliography

Ewen Callaway, “Plague Genome: The Black Death decoded,” Nature, 7370, (2011): 444-446

Kira L. S. Newman, “Shutt Up: Bubonic Plague and Quarantine in Early Modern England,” Journal of Social History, 3, (2012): 809-834

Kirsten I. Bos, Verena J. Schuenemann, et al, “A draft genome of Yersinia pestis from victims of the Black Death,” Nature, 7370, (2011): 506-510

Mary Lowth, “Plagues, pestilence and pandemics: Deadly diseases and humanity,” Practice Nurse, 16, (2012): 42-46

Ole J. Benedictow, “The Black Death,” History Today, 3, (2005): 42-49

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