Signs and symptoms

T he thr ee for ms of plague br ought an ar r ay of signs and

symptoms to those infected. T he septicemic pla gue is a for m
of "blood poisoning," and pneumonic pla gue is an airbor ne
pla gue that attacks the lungs befor e the r est of the body. T he
classic sign of bubonic plague was the appear ance of buboes
in the gr oin, the neck and ar mpits, w hich oozed pus and bled.
Most victims died within four to seven days after infection.

T he bubonic plague was the most commonl y seen for m during

the Black Death, with a mor tality r ate of thir ty to seventy-five
per cent and symptoms including fever of 38–41 °C (101–105
°F), headaches, painful aching joints, nausea and vomiting,
and a gener al feeling of malaise. Of those w ho contr acted the
bubonic pla gue, 4 out of 5 died within eight days. [36]

Pneumonic pla gue was the second most commonl y seen for m
during the Black Death, with a mor tality r ate of ninety to
ninety-five per cent. Symptoms included fever, cough, and
blood-tinged sputum. As the disease pr ogr essed, sputum
became fr ee flowing and bright r ed.

Septicemic plague was the least common of the thr ee for ms,
with a mor tality r ate close to one hundr ed per cent. Symptoms
wer e high fever s and pur ple skin patches (pur pur a due to
DIC).

The Black Death was one of the deadliest pandemics in

human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350.
It is widely thought to have been an outbreak of bubonic
plague caused by the bacterium Yesinia pestis, but this
view has recently been challenged. Usually thought to
have started in Central Asia, it had reached the Crimea by
1346 and from there, probably carried by fleas residing on
the black rats that were regular passengers on merchant
ships, it spread throughout the Mediterranean and
Europe. The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30%
to 60% of Europe's population, reducing the world's
population from an estimated 450 million to between 350
and 375 million in 1400. This has been seen as creating a
series of religious, social and economic upheavals which
had profound effects on the course of European history. It
took 150 years for Europe's population to recover. The
plague returned at various times, resulting in a larger
number of deaths, until it left Europe in the 19th century.