Life after the Black Death (The Most Costly Pandemic in Human History) Why we should learn from it !

It’s been more than 700 years since the bubonic plague destroyed Central Asia. A decade later, In 1346 a ship from Crimea docked in Europe and brings rats which infested with fleas that contain the bacterium causes the sickness. That marked the beginning of the era known as the Black Death resulting estimated 75 to 200 million people died specially in Europe. 

The Black Death plague was one of the most costly pandemics in human history. It was originated in China, the disease spread west along the Silk Road trade routes across Europe. Some research stated that the plague is still continue until 1666 which the last major plague epidemic in England that killed a quarter of London population - estimated around 100.000 people - in just 18 months.

How did this outbreak end? The most popular theory of how the plague ended is through the implementation of quarantines. The uninfected people would typically remain in their homes and only leave when it was necessary, while those who could afford to do so would leave the more densely populated areas and live in greater isolation. Improvement in personal hygiene are also begun to take place during the pandemic, alongside the practice of cremations rather than burials has an impact of the slowing the plague to spread. The plague finally decreased sharply in 1353 (almost 7 years). 

It’s not only population losses that happened after the Black Plague, the world also suffered monumental setbacks in terms of economy, social, labour, art and culture. 

Given the mortality rate of the Black Death was extraordinarily high, Dewittee on his article stated that the epidemic might have powerful shape patterns in health and demography in the surviving population. This, resulted the post-black death population differed in many significant ways from the population that existed just before the epidemic. This plague targeting weak people of all ages, killing them by hundred of thousand within an extremely short period of time, the Black Death might have shown the natural selection and removed the weakest individuals within Europe. If this was the case, it is possible that the Black Death had positive effect on population specially on health and survival patterns. 

History recorded that after the Black Death, there was a shortage of labours, as a consequence the wages improved dramatically while prices for food, goods and housing fell. This changes represented a major distribution of wealth. The wages rose improved housing and diet for people of all social status level specially in England. This resulted the increasing on money spending per capita on food, specially high quality food like wheat bread, meat and fresh fish. This given that the diet of lower classes individuals become more similar to the high status individuals. 

Besides the highly mortality rate, this plague rising the standards of living after the epidemic, resulted in a healthier post-epidemic population in London compared to the pre-Black Death population. 

Why we should learn from this deadly plague pandemic? 

Since the coronavirus appeared a couple months ago, we have been hearing a lot about government actions on containing it spread. However, some of us still denial on following the government health procedures. Working hand by hand might decrease the spread. Government in other hand also have to support those who suffer from the the implementation of the procedures they made. we know that this pandemic cost a lot of suffered but the only way to stop this suffering is by decreasing the spread of the virus as what has we have learned from the Black Death pandemic. 

Hence, if you feel saturated for too long quarantined, just imagine that you risking your life just to get rid of boredom. So, enjoy your quarantine day, do more positive activities, do more exercise, and eat nutritious foods. Let’s meet in the new day after the coronavirus disappear. 

At the end of my writing, I want to quote the poet written by Laura Fanucci. Hoping for a better day.

When this is over, may we never again take for granted

A handshake with a stranger

Full shelves at the store

Conversations with neighbors

A crowded theater

Friday night out

The taste of communion

A routine checkup

The school rush each morning

Coffee with a friend

The stadium roaring

Each deep breath

A boring Tuesday

Life itself.

When this ends

may we find

that we have become

more like the people

we wanted to be

we were called to be

we hoped to be

and may we stay that way 

better for each other

because of the worst.