By Alistair and Alex

How did it spread ?

The plague first occurred in China but it spread because of fleas. The plague mainly affected rodents but the fleas could transmit the disease to people. Once someone caught the plague, it caused fever and a painful swelling of the lymph glands called buboes, which is how it gets its name. The disease also caused spots on the skin that were red at first and then turned black.

This is one of the fleas that carried the plague

How the Black Death moved from person to person

The fleas spread the Black Death in three different ways:

1. The fleas vomited the bacteria onto human’s food.

2. They would bite a human and spread the bacteria.

3. Fleas poo is so light that it could float and humans would inhale the poo and catch the virus.

After this the humans got sick only 70% lived but even after that they only had a life expectancy of a week!

And it was not just that men and women died, but even sentient animals died. Dogs, cats, chickens, oxen, donkeys sheep showed the same symptoms and died of the same disease.

Dead littered the streets everywhere. Cattle and livestock roamed the country unattended. Brother deserted brother.

The Black Death came in three forms, the bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. Each different form of plague killed people in a vicious way. All forms were caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis.

The bubonic plague was the most commonly seen form of the Black Death. The mortality rate was 30-75%. The symptoms were enlarged and inflamed lymph nodes (around arm pits, neck and groin). The term 'bubonic' refers to the characteristic bubo or enlarged lymphatic gland. Victims were subject to headaches, nausea, aching joints, fever of 101-105 degrees, vomiting, and a general feeling of illness. Symptoms took from 1-7 days to appear.

The Black Death

Symptoms

· Big sores full of black smelly pus. These were called BUBOES. They usually appeared under the arms.

· Fever– cough/cold-coughing up blood

· Rash-circle of black spots on the skin.

What people did to stop the smell or prevent the disease

1. The street stank so much of he dead the dying and smelt of drugs, so people started carrying flowers, herbs or spices which took the smell away.

2. People thought that a cure was to drink freely and go out in public and laugh and joke around.

DISASTER STRIKES

Estimated population of Europe from 1000 to 1352.

• 1000 38 million
• 1100 48 million
• 1200 59 million
• 1300 70 million
• 1347 75 million
• 1352 50 million

25 million people died in just under five years between 1347 and 1352.

The plague did not hit five towns. At a guess out of about 40 places.

One of the groups that suffered the most was the Christian church. It lost prestige, spiritual authority, and leadership over the people. How? The church promised cures, treatment, and an explanation for the plague. They said it was God's will, but the reason for this awful punishment was unknown. People wanted answers, but the priests and bishops didn't have any. The clergy abandoned their Christian duties and fled. People prayed to God and begged for forgiveness. After the plague, ended angry and frustrated villagers started to revolt against the church. The survivors were also enraged at doctors, who didn't cure patients, but said they could.

The Bubonic Plague

This took from 1-7 days to appear

The mortality rate was 30-75%. The symptoms were enlarged and inflamed lymph nodes (around arm pits, neck and groin). The term 'bubonic' refers to the characteristic bubo or enlarged lymphatic gland. Victims were subject to headaches, nausea, aching joints, fever of 101-105 degrees, vomiting, and a general feeling of illness. Symptoms took from 1-7 days to appear.

      The pneumonic plague was the second most commonly seen form of the Black Death. The pneumonic and the septicaemia plague were probably seen less then the bubonic plague because the victims often died before they could reach other places (this was caused by the inefficiency of transportation). The mortality rate for the pneumonic plague was 90-95% (if treated today the mortality rate would be 5-10%). The pneumonic plague infected the lungs. Symptoms included slimy sputum tinted with blood. Sputum is saliva mixed with mucus exerted from the respiratory system. As the disease progressed, the sputum became free flowing and bright red. Symptoms took 1-7 days to appear.

  The septicaemia plague was the most rare form of all. The mortality was close to 100% (even today there is no treatment). Symptoms were a high fever and skin turning deep shades of purple due to DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation). According to Dr. Matt Luther, Vanderbilt University Medical Centre "The plague often caused DIC in severe forms, and DIC can be fatal. The picture above demonstrates what DIC can look like. In its most deadly form DIC can cause a victims skin to turn dark purple. The black death got its name from the deep purple, almost black discoloration." Victims usually died the same day symptoms appeared. In some cities, as many as 800 people died every day.

Bubonic plague was the most commonly seen form of the Black Death.