The Black Death started in China in the early 1300’s. Plague mainly affects rodents, but fleas can transmit the disease to people when the rodent they were living on died. Once people are infected, the illness spreads quickly. Since China was one of the busiest of the world's trading nations, it was only a matter of time before the outburst of plague in China spread to western Asia and Europe. In October of 1347, several Italian merchant ships returned from a trip to the Black Sea, one of the key links in trade with China. When the ships docked in Sicily, many of those on board were already dying of the plague. Within days the disease spread to the city and the surrounding countryside. By the following August, the plague had spread as far north as England, where people called it "The Black Death" because of the black spots it formed on the skin.

There were three types of the plague, bubonic, pneumatic, and septicemic. All forms were caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. Bu

The septicemic was the most rare of all. Mortality rate was close to 100%. Symptoms were a high fever and skin turning shades of deep purple due to DIC. The Black Death got its name from the deep purple, almost black discoloration. Victims usually died the same day symptoms appeared. In some cities, as many as 800 people died every day.

bonic was the most common of the three. The mortality rate was 30-75%. The symptoms were enlarged and inflamed lymph nodes (around arm pits, neck and groin). The term 'bubonic' refers to the characteristic bubo or enlarged lymphatic gland. Victims were subject to headaches, nausea, aching joints, fever of 101-105 degrees, vomiting, and a general feeling of illness. Symptoms took from 1-7 days to appear.

The disease went on for centuries; it didn’t stop until the 1600’s. So many people were dying that multitudes of bodies were being buried together, and in Florence they even had to dump them in the rivers. 1/3 of Europe’s population died (25 million) in a span of only four years.

Art and music was another aspect that changed as people began to see the depression surrounding them. People would use the symbolic skeleton in their paintings and pictures after the striking of The Black Death. Before the plague music could be heard playing frequently, while the affliction was occurring, music was

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