INSpiREzine Germs Gone Viral! | Page 47

It is suggested that the Mongols catapulted the plague-infected corpses of their soldiers over the walls of the city in a bid to gruesomely win the war!

From China, through the Mongul Empire to the Byzantine Empire, then on to the Middle East. The plague finally reached Europe in 1347 when 12 ships traveling on the Black Sea docked at the Sicilian port of Messina. Many civilians gathered at the docks and were met with a disturbing surprise… Most of the sailors on the ship were dead! And those who were alive were terribly sick and covered with oozing, black boils. Sicilian authorities quickly ordered the “death ships” to be removed from the harbour but, unfortunately, it was too late. From here, the Black Death spread throughout the rest of Europe and North Africa.

Neither rich nor poor were immune to the plague. No amount of riches could buy a cure. The notion of the Black Death as a great equalizer survived as a recurrent theme in artworks from the time, notably, "The Danse Macabre(a style of paintings and woodcuts created in the aftermath of the Black Death depicting dancing skeletons taking people to their graves).

Historians estimate that the Black Death reduced Europe’s population by as much as 60%, killing anywhere from 75 to 200 million people between 1347 and 1351. Mortality rates, however, varied from region to region - while some were decimated, others were minimally scathed. For instance, Mediterranean Europe (Italy, Southern France, Southern Spain) is presumed to have lost close to 80% of their population, whereas areas such as Germany and England had mortality rates closer to 20%. The populations of Northern Africa, the Middle East and Asia are said to have similarly suffered losses close to 40%.

In addition to the human cost, the Black Death also had major economic and social consequences in Europe.

The economy was upended. Disease disrupted trade as skilled artisans, merchants, and patrons died by the thousands. Wage wars ensued as land-owners vied desperately for workers to tend their lands amidst enormous labour shortages.