Black Death Is Most Commonly

Black Death is most commonly referred to as bubonic plague and comes in two forms -- pneumonic plague and septicemic plague. The most common form is characterized by painful buboes or inflamed lymph nodes in the groin, under the arms or on the neck. These and other symptoms are caused by an endotoxin which is released by a bacillus or bacteria known as Yersinia pestis, usually introduced into a person's body through the bite of a rat flea that has bitten an infected rat. Environmental conditions which favor plague epidemics, such as that experienced in Medieval Europe in the 14th century a.D., include a large infected rodent population within a non-immune human population in a damp, warm climate, such as found in the Mediterranean basin and Asia. According to Robert Kastenbaum, the Black Death is usually associated with the events that transpired in Europe during the pandemic of 1349, considered as "one of the major events in world history," due to the massive loss of lives, estimated to have exceeded 25,000,000 people, and the "broad swath it cut across North Africa, Asia and Europe," along with its "terrifying symptoms" and the negative impact it left upon all of Medieval European society ("Black Death," Internet).

Historically, the Black Death pandemic originated somewhere in the Far East, perhaps in the vicinity of Eastern China or further south, and by 1348 had spread like wildfire to the coast of Italy, "unleashing a rampage of death across Europe" which lasted for about three years and wiped out almost 50% of the total population. At this time, most Europeans had no idea on how the plague was spread; some believed that it was the wrath of God and punishment for living a secular lifestyle outside of the church; others believed that the plague was spread by ill winds blowing in from the Mediterranean. As a result of this ignorance, Europeans had "no defense and no understanding of the cause of the pestilence" ("The Black Death, 1348," Internet).

One of the best historical accounts of the Black Death in Europe during the 14th century a.D. comes from Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio who experienced the horrors of the plague first-hand in the city of Florence, Italy in 1348. Boccaccio's account of the Black Death is so powerful and informative that portions of it deserve to be examined. First of all, Boccaccio describes what he calls "Signs of Impending Death" with swellings in the groin or under the armpits in the form of buboes which often "grew to the size of a small apple or an egg." After the appearance of these buboes, in a relatively short period of time, they spread to every area of the body. Perhaps only hours later, "black or purple spots appeared on the arms or thighs... A certain sign of death" along with the buboes which now exhibit signs of discharge in the form of puss or blood ("The Black Death, 1348," Internet).

As Kastenbaum relates, these buboes "would spontaneously burst (and) pus would drain away," leaving the victim, i.e., if he/she survived, "totally exhausted or (open) to attacks by other infections" related to the plague bacilli. Yet most of the time, the buboes "were quickly accompanied by high fever" in excess of 106 degrees (105 degrees usually results in death) and agony. Sometimes the victim died within a few hours" while others became "disoriented and either comatose or wildly delirious" ("Black Death," Internet). Obviously, these signs and symptoms of the Black Death must have caused those who were fortunate enough to be immune or somehow safe from the disease to feel bewildered and terrified at the prospect of their entire families being killed, along with those linked to city and village governments which could do nothing to prevent the spread of the plague.

Boccaccio continues with "the violence of this disease was such that the sick communicated it to the healthy who came near them, just as fire catches anything dry or oily near it...To speak to or go near the sick brought infection and a common death... To touch the clothes (which) the sick had touched or worn gave the disease to the person touching" (Williams, 167). This description is quite accurate, yet even well-educated and enlightened Boccaccio himself did not know how the plague was spread from one person to another. It is also true that the plague bacillus could be spread simply by touching a piece of clothing worn by a dying person, due to rat fleas which would jump from the clothing to the person holding it without ever being aware of it.

Thus, under these extraordinary circumstances, the Black Death, so named because of the black buboes which appear on the body, completely mystified the medical community and its doctors whom at the time had been trained on pseudo-science, ignorance and superstition. As a result, all those who managed to remain healthy came up with various ways to make sure they remained so. For instance, Boccaccio relates that some people completely separated themselves from society by isolating their families in small communities or houses far away from those dying or already dead.

But as the bodies piled up, it soon became impossible to steer clear of death, for it was everywhere and had infiltrated virtually every level of society, from peasants on up to the most wealthy and politically powerful citizens. On the other hand, as Boccaccio describes it, many thought "the sure cure for the plague was to drink and be merry, (to) satisfy every appetite they could. Many spent day and night going from tavern to tavern, drinking immoderately... because everyone felt doomed and had abandoned his property" ("The Black Death, 1348," Internet).

Obviously, the destruction and chaos created by the Black Death in Europe in the 14th century greatly impacted society to the extend that many social and political leaders, such as the nobles, church officials, princes, kings and queens, perished and left behind vast estates and manorial properties without anyone to operate and maintain them. This of course opened the door for new leadership and allowed many of those in the lower classes to achieve new ranks and positions in various national governments, particularly in Italy, France and Germany.