the black death

bubonic, pneumonic, septicaemic

the three types of plagues

25-30 million

number of people who were killed

Yersinia pestis

a bacteria; the cause of the disease

rat flea

the organism which is first infected by the bacteria

rats

the organism which is infected second

origin

541CE - Constantinople, capital of the Byzatine Empire and the largest city in the world

symptoms - bubonic

• swollen lymbh nodes (buboes)

• high fever

• pain

• coughing

• vomiting blood

• black dots over body

likelihood of death - bubonic

30-70%

spread - bubonic

human ➡ human

symptoms - pneumonic

• coughing up blood

• fever

• headache

likelihood of death - pneumonic

90-95%. lived 2-4 days

spread - pneumonic

human ➡human (droplets coughed from the lungs of the infected, common in cold regions, extremely contagious)

causes of the black death

bitten by fleas, contamination of bodily fluids, poor hygeine

consequences

decline in population (approx. 1/3-2/3), loss of faith in the church, increased faith in God, peasants could ask for more pay

symptoms - septicaemic

• bleeding

• organ faliure

• fever

• internal bleeding ➡skin turned dark purple

• see blood through the skin

likelihood of death - speticaemic

100%

spread- septicaemic

least common, most deadly, blood was infected by the bacterium, infection prevented body from forming blood clots (which would heal)