Microbiology and Immunology 2500A/B Lecture 2: Black Death
6 Mar 2016
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Onset fever, chills, headaches, muscle pain, weakness. Vomit blood and bleeding occurs in the lungs. Painful swellings in lymph nodes (armpit, legs, neck, groin) = buboes. Plague pandemics 3 of them: plague of justinian. Eastern roman emperor (named after) 6th century. Spread throughout europe, estimate that 50% of the population died. Continued for 200 years (541 750 ad) then disappeared for 800 years. Killed 100 million people (contagion: the black death. Originated in asia and reached europe in the late 1340s. Reduced global population from 450 million to 350 million. Killed 25 million europeans (1/3 of total population of europe) Plague doctors: wore beak like masks, long coats, physician hats; work done by those who were not doctors because doctors did not want to treat people that had contracted the plague (masks could have prevented pneumonic plague) Bloodletting (bleeding out) was a treatment attempted, others thought god was angry. Social order was destroyed (family, agriculture, military, feudal system)
