The History of Black DeathThe Black Death was a deadly and devastating pandemic of bubonic plague that happened in Europe in 1347 and wiped out almost 50 million people in Europe.

Most scientists believe that the Black Death was caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium and spread by fleas. These fleas inhabited the rodents' bodies as their hosts. When the hosts died, the fleas bit humans and then humans transmitted the disease to others.

The plague was spread by traders via The Silk Road route. The plague came from Asia to Europe through Mediterranean countries by seamen and finally it was identified in Crimea for the first time in 1347.

Why did people call it The Bubonic Plague? The disease caused the sufferers to have swollen buboes (in the armpits, on the neck, or in the groins). The swellings may appear like the size of an egg which contains puss.

People who died from this disease usually had black tissue in their bodies. Therefore, the disease was also called the Black Death plague.

The Black Death took place for a long time due to the poor knowledge in medicine. Antibiotics had not been invented yet. Another matter was the poor living condition during the Medieval Period. Due to the large number of victims, most of the bodies were incinerated.

To overcome the pandemic, the Venetian authority decided to quarantine the newly arrived sailors until they could prove they weren't sick. In this way, the effort seemed successful to end the plague. Although the Black Death ended in Europe in 1352, world experts state that the plague has not really ended. They predict that one day the plague may arise again.

1) How does the writer describe the Bubonic Plague?
2) Why is it so described?
3) When did the plague begin?
4) How long did the plague last in Europe?​