A thread about the Black Death...

[Suu]

The Mongols using it as biological warfare against the Genoese didn't exactly help matters, either.

The Middle Ages were diiiiiiiiiiiiirty. Venice got slammed a lot too. Most seaports did.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Well, think about it...

In the 1300s, Europeans were wearing tighter fitting garments of thicker wools that locked in moisture and vermin. In more northern climates, they would LAYER it. (South of the Alps in Italy and Byzantium, they wore linen and less layers, and they were not impacted as much by the disease as France and Germany.)

By the time the 1500s came around, cotton was being introduced SLOWLY (it was fucking expensive,) linen and silk were becoming more affordable in the northern lands due to the movement of cultivation to Italy via Byzantium following the sack of Constantinople in 1453, as well as a HUGE style change which resulted in less clothing actually worn against the body. Detachable sleeves, farthingales to open skirts rather than layers of fabric, etc.

There is a documented massive change in climate between 1350 and 1550. Like...temps hitting 100*F+  in London during the reign of Henry VIII. They can also tell by vegetation and soil and such.

EEEENTERESTING

I might want to read your thesis when you're done.

[The Dark Monk]

Seems China is still hit randomly with Pneumonic Plague, which is simply a form of Bubonic Plague but targeted in different areas of the body.
Bubonic is an infection in the lymphatic system, pneumonic is respiratory, and septicemic through the blood stream. (simple trivia)

Those that support the hypothesis that the two plagues are separate argue that they have separate symptoms, claiming that the bubonic plague causes the bubo glands(in your armpits, neck, and groin area to swell forming buboes, while the black death can also cause necrosis of the fingertips and toes.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_the_Black_Death_the_plague_and_the_bubonic_plague#ixzz25iksGAbF

So there is a large argument going on whether they're the same. It seems the general idea that the Black Death and Bubonic Plague are the same thing whether buboes are present or not, though I didn't put a whole lot of effort into researching it honestly, I had a general idea for a paper in HS.

[Suu]

The necroses of the extremities may have been caused by ergotism. It's highly possible they were trying to treat the symptoms of the disease with ergot infected wheat as a method to get the patient to hallucinate as a pain killer, but they aren't sure. There's also the new belief that the Yersinia Pestis bacteria that may have caused the pandemic, at least what we call as the Second Pandemic (the first was Justinian's Plague, most likely smallpox.) was a mutated version that set in with the victim already having pneumonia, thus weakening the immune system.

It's absolutely wild what they're finding out now.

[East Coast Hustle]

Meh, sorry, a horrid awful disease almost killed a little girl.  Black Death, Yffing Persidis, whatever. 


Are we all happy now?

I know. Ain't it just awful?