Plagues And Diseases Essay -- essays research papers fc

Plagues and Diseases     Plague. A word that has enamored fear in the hearts of man since theearliest of times. It has likewise lead to some of the sterling(prenominal) historical eventsand stories of our time. The ancient cities of Rome and Athens, in theirdownfall, were finished off by pestilence. The Bubonic Plague, in like manner known asThe Black Death, devastated europium in the 14th century, starting a new age. Thegreat warrior Ivan the Terrible was infatuated with disease, and driven mad.During the "exploration" of the new world, Cortess greatest ally against theAztecs was smallpox. Napoleons Grand troops was defeated by the Russians, andtyphus. Queen Victoria spread hemophilia to her heirs, star to the illnessof the only son of Czar Nicholas, and the fall of monarchy in Russia.1 either theevents are horrible in every way, but have struck a chord with people around theworld. Perhaps it is our inherent pathological curiosity. So, the ques tion is, ifthese events happened once, why cant they happen again?     Let us communicate a look at the most horrible, so far, of the plagues TheBlack Death. It took Europe by storm from approximately 1345 to 1361. It wouldalso make small comebacks end-to-end the next 400 years, but never like it didthe first time. It also reached into Africa, China, Russia, and theScandinavian countries. It was truly a worldwide pandemic. But, it has asecondary effectuate that not many people are aware of. The colonies of Greenland,settled by the Vikings, were stricken by the plague and they soon disappeared.It is known that these colonies kept in contact with "Vinland", which was near immature Foundland, in Canada. The Vikings had already discovered magnetic north AmericaBut, alas, with these colonies all dead, Greenland was forgotten, and notdiscovered again until 1585.2 It is estimated that the plague took 24 millionlives, about a quarter of the European populatio n. This may look incredulous topeople today, but it happened. During those times, where at that place were humans,there were black rats. And where there are rats, there are fleas. And wherethere were fleas, there was the plague. Bubonic plague, and also pneumonicplague, were everywhere. France, Italy, Russia, England, you name it. When avillage was infected, people fled, most in all likelihood taking the plague with them tothe next village.3 One ca... ...nt, but itsure does operose good. I hope to have entertained you through this paper, andgiven you something to flock on for a few weeks. And I have honourable unrivalled morethought. When people think of the end of the world, they think of a thumpingmushroom cloud destroying everyone in a pillar of light. But, I just dont seethat. I see something less spectacular. When the end comes, it wont be with abang. No one will see it coming. An army of the smallest soldiers will encounterus from the inside out. One-billionth of our size, and theyll beat us.BIBLIOGRAPHY1. Abel, Ernest L. Americas Top 25 Killers. Hillside, N.J. Enslow     Publishers Inc., 19912. Archer, Jules. pandemic New York Harcourt Brace Jovanich, 1977.3. Berger, Melvin. Disease Detectives. New York Thomas Y. Crowell,     1978.4. Cartwright, Fred F. Disease and History. New York Thomas Y.     Crowell, 1972.5. Guerrilla Warfare. "Time Frontiers of Medicine." Vol. 148, No.4, Pg.     58-62.6. McNeill, William H. Plagues and Peoples. New York Anchor     Press/Doubleday, 1976.