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Random Facts about the Black Death
THE BLACK DEATH
This great plague, known as the "Black Death," was the most
deadly epidemic ever known. It is believed to have been an
aggravated outburst of the Oriental plague, which from the
earliest records of history has periodically appeared in
Asia and Northern Africa. There had been a visitation of the
plague in Europe in 1342; the Black Death, in terrible
virulence, appeared in 1348-9; it also came in milder form
in 1361-2, and again in 1369. The prevalence and severity of
the pestilence during this century is ascribed to the
disturbed conditions of the elements that preceded it. For a
number of years Asia and Europe had suffered from mighty
earthquakes, furious tornadoes, violent floods, clouds of
locusts darkening the air and poisoning it with their
corrupting bodies. Whether these natural disturbances were
the cause of the plague is not certainly known, but many
writers on the subject regard the connection as both
probable and possible. The disease was brought from the
Orient to Constantinople, and early in 1347 appeared in
Sicily and several coast towns of Italy. After a brief pause
the pestilence broke out at Avignon in January, 1348;
advanced thence to Southern France, Spain and Northern
Italy. Passing through France and visiting, but not yet
ravaging, Germany, it made its way to England, cutting down
its first victims at Dorset, in August, 1348. Thence it
traveled slowly, reaching London early in the winter. Soon
it embraced the entire kingdom, penetrating to every rural
hamlet, so that England became a mere pest-house. The chief
symptoms of the disease are described as "spitting, in some
cases actual vomiting, of blood, the breaking out of
inflammatory boils in parts, or over the whole of the body,
and the appearance of those dark blotches upon the skin
which suggested its most startling name. Some of the victims
died almost on the first attack, some in twelve hours, some
in two days, almost all within the first three days." The
utter powerlessness of medical skill before the disease was
owing partly to the physicians' ignorance of its nature, and
largely to the effect of the spirit of terror which hung
like a pall over men's minds. After some months had passed,
the practice of opening the hard boils was adopted, with
very good effect, and many lives were thus saved. But the
havoc wrought by the disease in England was terrible. It is
said that 100,000 persons died in London, nearly 60,000 in
Norwich, and proportionate numbers in other cities. These
figures seem incredible, but a recent writer, who has spent
much time in the investigation of records, asserts that at
least half the population, or about 2,500,000 souls, of
England perished in this outbreak. The ravages of the
pestilence over the rest of the world were no less terrible.
Germany is said to have lost 1,244,434 victims; Italy, over
half the population. On a moderate calculation, it may be
assumed that there perished in Europe during the first
appearance of the Black Death, fully 25,000,000 human
beings. Concerning the Orient we have less reliable records,
but 13,000,000 are said to have died in China, and
24,000,000 in the rest of Asia and adjacent islands. The
plague also ravaged Northern Africa, but of its course there
little is known. The horrors of that dreadful time were
increased by the fearful persecutions visited on the Jews,
who were accused of having caused the pestilence by
poisoning the public wells. The people rose to exterminate
the hapless race, and killed them by fire and torture
wherever found. It is impossible for us to conceive of the
actual horror of such times
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