THE BLACK DEATH During the fourteenth century a horrible plague spread across Asia, Europe, and Great Britain. This plague is referred to as the black death. Many people are not quite sure why the disease was given the name. The most popular reason why it might be called the black death is because it left purplish, blackish blotches on the bodies of the sick.But if the name of the epidemic had been derived primarily from the appearance of its victims, one would have expected it to have been used at the time. Of this there is no evidence.?(Zeiger 17). Step by step, I am going to take you on the journey the black death took, from where it started, what it did, and when it ended. Bacillus yersinia pestis is the bacteria that lived in the blood streams of medieval rats and their fleas. Some time in the late 1340's the bacteria made its way from rats to warm blooded mammals like humans. Due to earthquakes and other environmental occurrences, medieval rats were forced to cross the paths of humans. They first got on board of ships at ports, then headed to cities where they spread the disease. It was not the rats that spread the disease, but it was their fleas that bit humans and infected them. There was three forms of the plague; bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemia. Each form had different symptoms.The most common form, called bubonic, is characterized by the formation of egg-sized swellings at the site of the flea bite, usually located in the armpits, groin, or neck.?(Wark). Which ever form someone contracted they died a disgusting death within days. Their whole body would get covered with nasty blotches of blood under their skin, and any fluid excreted from their body contained an unbearable stench. Florence, Italy was a very hard hit area because it was located right on the Arno River where ships would dock to import and export goods. It was estimated that between 45,000 and 65,000 Florentines died from the plague.
