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plague noun - a contagious bacterial disease characterized by fever and delirium, typically with the formation of buboes

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Bubonic plague has been roaming around for millennials and it caused epidemics, and the death of many people several times. Imagine that only for a year, half of your neighbors or the people living in your city die out. It sounds unbelievable but it has already happened.

The most renowned epidemic of the plague was the Black death. The epidemic started in China and spread across Asia and reached Europe and Africa. From 1346 to 1353 it took the life of every third european. Bubonic plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis and the Black death was not the only pandemic it caused in human history. It turns out that from the first infected person until now it has not changed at all. At the same time during the separate epidemics, the illness behaved in a different way every time. 

It is believed the way the illness proceeds depends on who is transferring it. Typically this bacteria is carried by rodents like rats and mice but in the case, with the Black Death, it was passed from human to human. 

The reason for the scale of the Black Death is rooted long before its beginning. From the X century, Europe experienced favourable climate which led to abundant harvests and an explosion in population. But as the first worse years came the population starved. On the other hand there were so many people that the labour was extremely cheap. Cities were crowded and full of litter which made them the perfect place for bacteria and viruses to thrive.

Although the Black death was a terrible event for all the people that experienced it, it led to some positive changes. Population decreased and the fewer people left started living better. Also, the way most countries were governed changed. The feudal era ended and the poorest people received greater freedoms than before.

The Yersinia pestis bacteria remains unchanged to the present day which makes it dangerous still. Thanks to developments in medicine and the discovery of antibiotics the cases of plague significantly decreased in the past centuries but the bacteria is far from eradicated. In 2007 a drug resistant form of plague was discovered which raised the question is it on the way to return. It is certain we should continue researching it as its better understanding might help us avoid returning to some really dark times.

The history of the bubonic plague.