The purpose of this investigation is to answer the question of how the Black Death affected Europe in the Middle Ages. Because the Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, killing up to a third of the population, it is an important topic to discuss. Some questions that need to be addressed regarding this topic are how the Black Death primarily affected Europe on a social, political, and economic level. The focus will be on the period from 1347 to 1351, when the plague ran its course, but it will also look at the consequences up to modern times. The book The Black Death by Daniel Cohen and the book by Robert S. Giblin The Black Death; Both natural and human disasters in medieval Europe appear promising for further investigation.132Part B: Summary of Evidence “The Black Death was a combination of bubonic, pneumonic, and septicaemic strains of plague. It devastated the Western world from 1347 to 1351, killing 25 to 50 percent of Europe's population and causing or accelerating marked political, economic, social, and cultural changes. Bubonic plague is spread by the bite of a flea that has bitten a rat carrying the bacteria responsible for the plague. This form is rarely contagious and death occurs about a week after initial infection. Pneumonic plague, however, spreads very easily from person to person. It also had a mortality rate of approximately 50% in its bubonic form and 100% in its pneumonic and septicemic forms. Europe was not well equipped to deal with such a pandemic. In fact, their way of life was a breeding ground for vermin to spread it. There was no regular garbage collection and waste accumulated in the streets. The town had no running water and people rarely washed their clothes... middle of paper ..., they were doing what people always strive to do: making something positive out of a bad situation.162Works Cited "Black Death," World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC CIio. accessed April 8, 2014. http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Boccaccio, Giovanni. “The Decameron.” Pink monkey. Last edited 1350. http://pinkmonkey.com/dl/library1/b1.pdf Cohen, Daniel. The Black Death, 1347-1351. New York: World Focus Book, 1941. Giblin, James Cross. When the plague strikes: the Black Death, smallpox, AIDS. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995. Gottfried, Robert S. The Black Death; Natural and human disaster in medieval Europe. New York: The Free Press/A division of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1983. Witowski, Erika L. “The Black Death: 1347-1351.” Then Again…, last modified December 12, 1996. http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/westeurope/BlackDeath.html.