There were many theories on how it started, but most people believe it was on a ship that came from Cafra that landed in Italy. The most popular theory places the first cases in the steppes of Central Asia. From central Asia it was carried east and west along the Silk Road, by Mongol armies and traders making use of the opportunities of free passage within the Mongol Empire offered by the Pax Mongolica. It was reportedly first introduced to Europe at the trading city of Caffa in the Crimea in 1347. After a protracted siege, during which the Mongol army under Janibeg was suffering the disease, they catapulted the infected corpses over the city walls to infect the inhabitants. The Genoese traders fled, bringing the plague by ship into Sicily and the south of Europe, whence it spread.
2007-12-13 13:57:20
·
answer #1
·
answered by Steve C 7
·
0⤊
0⤋
As I told another who asked pretty much the same question, our best guess is that it came from the Steppes where it was a mutant variety of blood-borne illness common to rodents like rats. Those being migratory critters at certain times, they wandered out of the Steppes in all directions,eventually winding up in port cities, from whence they traveled to all corners of the globe, except the American continent (North and South America) until much later.
There were few containment measures taken because nobody really knew whence the disease came. Rats were everywhere, and because of the relatively primitive living conditions, usually inhabited people's houses, too, where they generously shared their disease-bearing fleas with everybody. Fleas are very democratic; they'll drink your blood as freely as they will that of your dog.
Mortality rates varied from community to community. In some, it was a hundred percent while in others less than thirty percent. It tended to be less in the less densely populated areas, but not always.
Here's two sources for ya: Sorry they're not web URLs...
Disease & History
Cartwright and Biddiss
Sutton Publishing 2004
www.suttonpublishing.co.uk
History of Medicine
Jacalyn Duffin
University of Toronto Press 1999
2007-12-14 08:59:50
·
answer #2
·
answered by Anonymous
·
0⤊
0⤋
It started in 1348, with people dying in droves. They showed malaise, fever, swelling of the lymph nodes, black spots on the body, and death.
Containment measures, useless. The cause of the plague was unknown at the time. Some people thought it was a plot of the Jews, who were poisoning the water.
People escaped far away, taking the germs with them.
Some doctors told the patients not to bathe
Mortality rates, unknown. Some sources say that half of the population of Europe died
Finally, it stopped in 1350. Cause, unknown. Some scientists believe it happened due to genetic resistance that developed
2007-12-13 22:52:21
·
answer #3
·
answered by Der Schreckliche 4
·
0⤊
0⤋
Check:
http://www.bartleby.com/65/pl/plague.html
2007-12-13 21:59:52
·
answer #4
·
answered by Ace Librarian 7
·
0⤊
0⤋
It started because the Mongolians brought it to all of the countries that they conquered.
Also, fleas rode on rats, on ships and things, and were transfered all over the world.
The mortality rate, in Europe at least, was 2/3 of the population.
2007-12-13 21:58:26
·
answer #5
·
answered by WarEmblem 2
·
0⤊
0⤋
Basically it was literally a bug problem. The bugs that carried at from rats, the rats were attracted to unsanitary conditions(for humans) than that species of rat died out and a new one took over. And so did the bugs. Thing about burning and cutting for treatments, as far as to days standards go. Nicotine is a good herbicide so it just depends on how you look at it.
2007-12-13 21:59:53
·
answer #6
·
answered by lookaround 3
·
0⤊
0⤋
It's called "The Black Death" or
"The Plague"
not a combination of both.
2007-12-14 11:37:43
·
answer #7
·
answered by quette2@btopenworld.com 5
·
0⤊
0⤋
why don't you just wikipedia it?
2007-12-13 21:57:21
·
answer #8
·
answered by brettjerk 2
·
0⤊
0⤋