The Black Death: The Worst Disaster of the Bubonic PlagueIt is called "the greatest disaster of all time." This statement was made in reference to the Black Death, which was one of several outbreaks of bubonic plague. Throughout history, bubonic plague has proven to be an extremely deadly disease. Bubonic plague outbreaks have been devastating due to the staggering number of deaths in each of the affected populations. The Black Death was the worst bubonic plague epidemic and disaster in history. The Black Death refers to a period of several years during which affected populations were decimated. Bubonic plague is an illness caused by bacteria. The disease presents horrible symptoms and most victims die after contracting the plague. Bubonic plague spreads easily between different population areas. The Black Death was not the first outbreak of bubonic plague; there was another outbreak several hundred years before. It is important to understand the history of the bubonic plague and think about the Black Death because plague outbreaks can still occur today. The actual cause of the Black Death is still debated today, but most historians believe it was the result of a plague with bacteria. The bubonic plague most likely affected humans with a bacteria that caused many problems. The bacteria that causes bubonic plague is called Yersinia pestis. A combination of old historical records and details provide some evidence that the bubonic plague was indeed caused by this bacteria. Scientists have worked to obtain even more evidence through excavation. Burial sites dating back to the Black Death period have been excavated for the skeletons of plague victims. The skeletons were tested to see if the victims had been...... middle of paper ...... in the fields of science and medicine, future outbreaks of any disease can be better managed. When a deadly disease begins to ravage a population, research into similar outbreaks can help the world contain, cure and prevent the disease to protect the world and its people. BibliographyEwen Callaway, “Plague Genome: The Black Death decoded”, Nature, 7370, (2011): 444-446Kira LS Newman, “Shutt Up: Bubonic Plague and Quarantine in Early Modern England”, Journal of Social History, 3, (2012 ): 809-834 Kirsten I. Bos, Verena J. Schuenemann, et al. , “A draft genome of Yersinia pestis from victims of the Black Death”, Nature, 7370, (2011): 506-510Mary Lowth, “Plagues, pestilence and pandemics: deadly diseases and humanity”, Practice Nurse, 16, ( 2012): 42-46Ole J. Benedictow, “The Black Death”, History Today, 3, (2005): 42-49