“The
bodies of the sick were covered with black pustules…
The symptoms
of immediate death.”
Procopius in
1(A
drawing of plague victims showing the characteristic lesions, buboes,
http://www.informationbest.com/gg/350px-Bubonicplague.jpg)
Yersinia pestis is the agent of the plague. There are three distinct syndromes of
infection with this organism and each syndrome exhibits unique signs and
symptoms. The three syndromes are
bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. They
may occur individually or in combination with one another (Bean 425).
Figure 2
Bubonic Plague is the most
common form of plague, but is the least toxic, with a mortality of 50-60%. This form of plague is caused by a flea bite,
and takes its name from the buboes it causes.
Symptoms appear suddenly, usually within 2-5 days of exposure to the
bacteria and include:
·
Sudden onset of high fever
·
Smooth, painful swelling
of lymph glands, called buboes.
The groin is the most commonly affected area, but swelling may also
occur in the armpits or neck. The areas
also become hemorrhagic and discolored.
·
Chills and sweats
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/plague/p5.htm
·
Severe headache along with
other signs of CNS (central nervous system) and psychological dysfunction
including delirium, insomnia and stupor.
These changes probably give rise to the strange movements that victims
often show which have been described as a danse macabre.
·
Seizures
Pneumonic Plague is rarer than the bubonic variety, but it
is more dangerous and deadly. This form
of plague kills over 95% of its victims (Schremmer 2). The pneumonic plague differs from the other
two types in that it is the only form that can be spread from person to person
through secretions or droplet exposure.
Symptoms of this plague also occur suddenly, usually 2-3 days after
exposure and include:
·
Severe cough
·
Frothy, bloody sputum
·
Difficulty breathing
·
Neurologic and psychologic
dysfunction as in bubonic plague
·
Deeply darkened and black
skin from hemorrhage and poor circulation, especially of extremities
Buboe
caused by Bubonic Plague
http://webs.wichita.edu/mschneegurt/biol103/lecture14/buboes.jpg
Septicemic Plague is the rarest of the three types and like the bubonic plague, it
is transmitted by fleas. Its
distinguishing feature is that it can cause death within a day of
infection. It is a blood infection that
causes:
·
Fever
·
Nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, and abdominal pain
·
Low blood pressure and
shock
·
Blood clotting problems
·
Deeply darkened and black
skin from hemorrhage and poor circulation, especially of extremities
·
Failure of several or all
organ systems
Necrosis typical of the Black Death.
http://webs.wichita.edu/mschneegurt/biol103/lecture14/black_hand.jpg
Necrosis of the foot
tissue.
http://webs.wichita.edu/mschneegurt/biol103/lecture14/feet_lesions.jpg
The
Plague Yersinia pestis The Spread Cultural Effects Controversies Modern
Plague References