One of the deadliest epidemics in the history of mankind was that of the black plague of 1347. Within three or four years the epidemic reached impressive mortality levels; just think that Europe lost something like 30-50% of its population. In Provence, between 50 and 75% of the population died, in England almost 60%.
Historically, the origin of the black plague epidemic is traced back to the conflict between Tartars and Genoese, held in Caffa, the current Feodosija in the Crimea, in 1347. The outbreak of the epidemic caused many victims among the Tartar soldiers, who threw the corpses beyond the walls with catapults to infect the Christians. The quick reaction of the Genoese settlers in throwing the corpses into the sea was of little use: the black plague had now entered the city.
The plague also went aboard ships and their crews, and trade exchanges cleared the epidemic first in Messina, then in Pisa and in Genoa. Within a few months, the black plague spread rapidly throughout Europe.
The black plague appeared in two forms:
- the so-called bubonic plague was characterized by the appearance of large pustules (buboes), especially in the axillae and groin. Death occurred due to internal bleeding, cardiocirculatory insufficiency or renal complications;
- pulmonary plague, on the other hand, covered the body with large black spots and resulted in death from acute pulmonary edema
