The Plague

Going back into my major, and still staying around the idea of medicine, I will talk about the disease that killed the most people in the world in all of history. According to national geographic, "Plague is a bacterial infection found mainly in rodents and their fleas. But via those fleas it can sometimes leap to humans. When it does, the outcome can be horrific, making plague outbreaks the most notorious disease episodes in history."



The plague, or the black plague, was a plague that struck Asia and Europe in the 1300's and again in London in the 1600's. There are two different types of the black plagues: septicemic and pneumonic. Septicemic plague is spread through blood, which is why it is less common than pneumonic plague, which is shared through the air we breathe. However with septisemic plague, you see that since it is transferred through blood, that when you are bit by fleas it gets transferred to you. Both of these forms are a death sentence without any antibiotics. And according to National Geographic, even if it is treated only fifty percent will survive. This is why the plague was so deadly.



The plague needs lots of the bacteria in order to harm the immune system. The bacteria will knock out the cells by inserting a poison into the defense cells. When it does this, the normal job of detecting bacteria is hindered. So it allows the bacteria to multiply without any detection or defense of the victims body. It causes swollen lymph nodes, which are super painful. The bacteria begins to clump underneath the skin and cause the victim to become poisoned to death.

What it looks like when the black plague has entered the defense cells and injected them with their poison. As you can see, the bacteria is reproducing way too much. Allowing it to take over the victims body.


The plague flourishes in areas that are extremely populated. Because it will be able to be transferred from person to person easier. Along with dirty living conditions that inhabit many rats. Without these conditions it does not allow many different outbreaks of the plague to occur. Which is definitely a good thing, considering it wiped out one out of every five people in England during the 1600's. There is still occurrences of the plague now a days, but they're mostly in countries that are in third world countries. Be thankful for people realizing that sanitation is super important, or else we could be going through another plague right now!

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-diseases/plague-article/