1. The Black Death

2. Hunter- gatherers Industrialization Agriculture Human Population

3. Crowd diseases: –Parasites, e.g. schistosomiasis –Contagious diseases, e.g. measles Epidemics Domesticated animals

7. Endemic disease, Epidemics and Pandemics The Three Great Pandemics The Biology of Plague

8. 6 th and 7 th Centuries AD

10. The Medieval Pandemic

11. The Modern Pandemic

12. The Biology of Plague Bacillus: Yersinia pestis

13. The Biology of Plague Rattus rattus (Black Rat)

14. The Biology of Plague Flea: Xenopsylla cheopis

16. Types of Plague Primary Bubonic –Transmitted by fleas –Buboes –60-90% mortality

17. Types of Plague - 2 Primary bacteraemic (septicaemic) Secondary bacteraemic Primary pneumonic Secondary pneumonic –Transmitted by air- borne droplets –Not too infectious

18. The Black Death Origins in Central Asia, ca. 1331-1332 Slow rate of spread Importance of Mongol Empire Spreads from Tatars to Genoese colony of Caffa From there to Europe in September 1347

22. How Many People Died?

24. Burials at Givry, 1334-1348

25. Plague Mortality in Bombay Presidency, 1897-98 LocalityPopulationDeath Rate/1,000 Bombay806,14420.1 Poona161,69631.2 Karachi97,00924.1 Sholapur61,56435.0 Kale4,431104.9 Supne2,068102.5 Ibrampur1,692360.5

28. Average Duration of Life: Florence, 1276-1500 YearsAverage Life 1276-130031.4 1301-132540.1 1326-134837.3 1349-137536.5 1376-140018.0 1401-142524.4 1426-145027.9 1451-147541.1 1476-150038.9

29. How Many People Died?: Conclusion Ca. one-half of population dies Population declines until ca. 1425, when stabilizes at one-third level of that of 1300 Remains at this low level until ca. 1475 Returns to level of 1300 around 1600

30. But Was It Plague?

31. Two types of rat needed Rattus norvegicus (brown rat) did not reach England until 1700s

32. Rodent reservoir But was it plague?

33. But Was It Plague? Two types of rat needed Rattus norvegicus (brown rat) did not reach England until 1700s

34. But was it plague? Plague a disease of open steppes, and/or warm countries, but Spreads to Iceland and Greenland

35. No reports of dead rats 40 day disease cycle, as opposed to 7-10 days for plague

37. Or a Viral Hemorrhagic Fever? Characterized by bleeding and vomiting of blood Generalized necrosis Affected domestic animals Spread from human to human

41. Population Movement at Prato

42. Consequences Western Europe: “Golden Age” of the Peasantry –Rents decline –Wages rise –Serfdom disappears in W. Europe

44. Population Movements: England

45. Consequences - 2 Intensifies political and social conflict –“Seigneurial reaction” –Peasant revolts/urban worker revolts –Increased competition among aristocrats for control of shrinking numbers of peasant, leading to Increased civil war Increased inter-state war