The Plague

The Plague

The plague was a devastating disease. It reduced the population of Europe by more than a third in the fourteenth century. This occurred in a particularly severe pandemic known as 'The Black Death'.  The mortality rate is 100% once you are infected by the Yersinia pestis bacteria.  Thankfully it is now treated by modern antibiotics.

Sufferers at the time were desperate and would try anything to try to get rid of the terrible disease.  'Buboes' are the cardinal sign of Bubonic plague. These are swollen glands in the groin (inguinal lymph nodes).  People considered that when they burst through the skin the badness would escape. They would take measures to encourage the rupture. These include but are not limited to, tying live chickens and toads to the affected part of the body.

The heat generated in the area may well have encouraged the nodes to rupture. Surprisingly enough there are compounds on a chickens feather which have since been shown to by active against the disease process

The disease was spread by fleas on the backs of black rats.  Nowadays we are more concerned about rats destroying our possessions than giving us the plague.  This fascinating new device should really help in the battle to stop them chewing the wires in cars and expensive equipment.