The Bubonic Plague: What Did it Really Accomplish?
             Imagine a disease so deadly that every one out of three people in the United States would die. A disease so tragic that it would change the course of history forever. The Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black Death, was one of these diseases. The Bubonic Plague arrived in the 14th century wiping out one-third of Europe as it came ("Bubonic. . . Europe"). However, there are many aspects of the Bubonic Plague that created lasting changes throughout Europe. Aspects such as the social class system, the church, colonization of other lands and the Renaissance were all directly affected by the plague.
             The Bubonic Plague, or Black Death, was given these names because of the symptoms of the disease. The plague caused swollen lymph glands called buboes. These buboes were first found in the groin area which is called boubon in Latin. It was called plague because of the widespread killing that it caused. "Bubonic Plague was also known as the "Black Death" in Medieval times. This is because the dried blood under the skin turns black" ("Breakthroughs"). "Bubonic Plague is caused by the infectious agent Yersinia Pestis bacteria"(Koerner 2) which caused the blood vessels under the skin to break. The broken blood vessels then dried on the surface of the body, turning black as they dried, hence the term "Black Death."
             Bubonic Plague was commonly a disease of rodents, but sometimes it was transmitted to humans, as was the case in the 14th century. Fleas and rats died of the disease, sometimes after transmitting it to other animals or humans. The main carrier of the plague was the "black rat which came from the Orient. This rat was plentiful throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. It carried the plague into cities and the countryside, into the homes of the rich and poor" (Kolata 13). The plague killed rats quickly, but the plague was not spread to the human through the rat,...