What is Black Death?
Black Death was the name of a deadly plague that took over Europe and killed an estimated 1/3 to 1/2 of the population of the continent. It had three forms. The first, bubonic, was by far the most common and is usually the one associated with the term “black death.” In this type, egg-sized bubos, or tumors, appeared on the victim’s armpits, neck, and groin. Other symptoms included fever and pain in the head and body. The final symptom, which was the one that really suggested the end was near, was sneezing. Most people passed within a few hours to a few days of contracting the disease, and the mortality rate was around 70%. The second most common type was pneumonic plague. This version was in the lungs and essentially turned them to liquid. It killed within 2 or so days. The third, least common kind was septicemic plague. It caused the victim to bleed from all parts of their body and killed within 3 days. The mortality rate of septimcemic plague was 100%.