"Medieval “Black Death” Was Airborne, Scientists Say" Topic
9 Posts
All members in good standing are free to post here. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the posters, and have not been cleared with nor are they endorsed by The Miniatures Page.
Please be courteous toward your fellow TMP members.
For more information, see the TMP FAQ.
Back to the Medieval Media Message Board
Areas of InterestMedieval
Featured Hobby News Article
Featured Recent Link
Top-Rated Ruleset
Featured Showcase ArticleThe Editor tries out a boardgame - yes, a boardgame - from battle-market magazine.
Featured Workbench ArticleJay Wirth shows how using inks makes it easier to paint a 15mm scale army.
Featured Book Review
|
Tango01 | 16 Apr 2014 10:59 p.m. PST |
"The so-called Black Death arrived in Britain from central Asia in the autumn of 1348. Believed to be bubonic plague, spread by infected fleas carried on rats, the disease swept through Europe over the better part of the next year. One of history's most devastating epidemics, it killed an estimated 75 million people, including six in every 10 Londoners. Now, analysis of skeletal remains found by construction workers digging railway tunnels in central London has led scientists to a stunning new conclusion: The Black Death was not transmitted through flea bites at all, but was an airborne plague spread through the coughs, sneezes and breath of infected human victims. After construction workers digging tunnels for the new Crossrail train line last year discovered some 25 skeletons buried under Charterhouse Square in the Clerkenwell area of London, scientists immediately suspected they had stumbled on a plague cemetery. The square, once home to a monastery, is one of the few London areas that have remained undisturbed for hundreds of years, and the location outside the walls of medieval London coincided with historical accounts. To test this theory, scientists extracted DNA from one of the largest teeth in each of 12 skeletons. Testing showed evidence of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes the plague, which confirmed that the individuals buried underneath the square had likely been exposed to—and died from—the Black Death. Currently, the plague still infects several thousand people every year around the world, though most patients recover if treated early enough with antibiotics. When they compared the strain of plague preserved in this medieval DNA with the strain that recently killed some 60 people in Madagascar, however, they found something surprising. The medieval strain was no stronger than the recent one; in fact, their genetic codes matched almost exactly
" Full article here. link We have to apology the rats! (smile). Amicalement Armand |
Parzival | 17 Apr 2014 9:17 a.m. PST |
"Dear Rats: We're sorry we blamed you for the Black Death and sullied your name. That apparently may have been wrong. However, we're not going to cease putting out traps, poison or bludgeoning you when the wife screams, because, well, you're still kind of disgusting and creepy looking, and we'd rather not have you mucking about in the kitchen. No offense. Signed, Humanity." |
Pan Marek | 17 Apr 2014 9:22 a.m. PST |
This Is VERY preliminary. The conclusions are based not so much on new research or testing, but rather on "infectious disease specialists" say it spread too fast to be flea-borne. Why? What is their analysis? What is it about this particular excavation that leads to this new revelation? Given what was likely an extremely dirty, unsanitary (by our standards) and vermin infested city, without any of the bug sprays etc. we now have, I would think that fleas were prevalent enough to spread the disease quite fast. Ever get fleas in you house from a pet? |
Tango01 | 17 Apr 2014 11:35 a.m. PST |
Superb letter Parzival! (smile). Amicalement Armand |
Skeptic | 18 Apr 2014 6:17 a.m. PST |
Agreed, PM, the article does not mention how the archaeology would support that inference, which may be based more on epidemiological models than anything else. |
Patrice | 18 Apr 2014 3:50 p.m. PST |
1) Everything dated 1st April is suspect (but, I'm French I learned this from childhood). 2) Rats could spread the disease; and then, the disease could spread also with coughs etc; so what? 3) Thanks Tango, as usual :) |
Tango01 | 18 Apr 2014 11:26 p.m. PST |
No mention mon ami!. (smile). Amicalement Armand |
Great War Ace | 20 Apr 2014 2:04 p.m. PST |
Both bubonic and pneumonic plague were at work in these epidemics. Medieval people got very concerned about coughing and sneezing spreading "the vapors", I've seen references to people hanging cloth in front of their noses and mouths, treated with this or that "camphor" or whathaveyou as "protection". Desperation and rampant panic caused people to try anything. Fleeing the cities early was your best chance of survival
. |
Great War Ace | 20 Apr 2014 2:09 p.m. PST |
And yes, I have empirical experience with flea bites. When they have proliferated to the point of crawling in and out of sight on a kitty cat's snout you know that a huge problem is at hand. At one point I was getting chomped each night with a dozen or more new bites per night. My wrists started to look like weeping hamburger. Finally we eradicated the pests with bug spray and I recovered and developed an immunity to the horrendous open sore flare ups, then the little s could only raise a tiny red dot that hardly itched. One guy I knew, also new to the area (this was Auckland NZ) had to be sent back to the States because his reaction to the fleas was so bad that he could only wear slippers and light socks, he showed us his feet and ankles and I thought it looked like they were starting to rot off. He had blood poisoning. Fleas in copious numbers work very fast indeed
. |
|