William McNeill philosophy of history monograph (The Black Death)

The Black Death

While I was thinking of the topic to write about, I was thinking of the largest disastrous plague of mankind. Few years ago, SARS was a big problem in China and in some other Asian countries. I saw videos saying that SARS would take many lives away like the great plague that I’m going to mention in this paper, the Black Death.

According to the professionals, plague is caused by bacterial infection found in rodents; this includes rats, rabbits, and etc., and fleas. When this infects humans, then the plagues outbreaks and the rapid killing happens.

Black Death killed 25 million people in the late 1340s. In London, 1 out of 5 residents suffered the tragic Black Death. Total number who has suffered the plague reaches the estimated number of 75 million people. It is said that the Black Death has originated in central Asia or India, spreading to European countries.

The effects of the Black Death were devastating. Starting from the decline in the population, it changed church, arts, and even music in Europe. Declination of the population meant economic crisis. Because as the population decreased, there were less people to pay tax.

Another problem that had occurred due to the declination of the population was that no one really went to church. Although some believed that their god could save them from the Black Death, others abandoned the church. This abandonment brought the change in European Art. Sculptures with worms and snails munching on the diseased, the painting of the people socializing with the skeletons shows a clear image that the artists of the day got heavily effected by the plague, painting and making hopeless and sad paintings and sculptures.

This is the type of history that William H. McNeill is focusing on. The plague occurred yet we don’t know the exact spot of where it happened and why it happened but surely this plague brought about something that was so devastating and horrible effect that couldn’t be ignored in history.

Plague, micro and macro parasitism, epidemic and endemic, are the things that McNeill is really interested in as a historian. He is a naturalist and no matter what other historians say, McNeill believes as a naturalist that when plague hits the people, the effect is so devastating that other historians theory will no longer last. The plague will be the only thing left behind and the effects and changes due to the plague.



The effect of Black Death
Retrieved on October 16, 2008
From http://www.insecta-inspecta.com/fleas/bdeath/Europe.html