The Black Death began in 1347 and ended in 1351. Europe experienced a dramatic decline due to the spread of an unstoppable virus sent from Central Asia. As the virus spread through cities, towns and across countries, the corpses of those caught by the virus began to pile up and congregate. As more and more bodies began to pile up, they were thrown into pits (Wilson 438). The Black Death had many effects in Europe. The three most significant effects of the Black Death were that the land became worthless, a third to half of the European population died, and Jews were blamed for the epidemic and were targeted by Europeans . This had an economic impact on Europe. The Black Death began in Central Asia. It originated in southern China and ran along the Silk Road. It crossed Central Asia, India and also the Middle East (Stock Vol.4). Later, scientists discovered that the cause of the Black Death was ships and carriers that carried flea-infested rats on board. India was deeply affected, resulting in 13 million deaths (Wells 1097). The most common illness during the Black Death was the bubonic plague. A person can only get it when a flea, already infected, bites them or when there is a break in the person's skin for the bacteria to pass through. Infected people may have fever, headache, and chills (Wells 1097). Bubonic plague was painful and caused swollen lymph nodes. The inside was black, full of blood and pus, and it looked like it was going to burst any second (Bowers 132). In 1546, Girolamo Fracastoro, an Italian physician, proposed a theory on the transmissibility of the plague. He explained how it was possible for fleas to spread by jumping from one host to another (Arc...... middle of paper..., a Jewish doctor said he had poisoned the wells. A Basel, Stuttgart, Dresden and other German cities burned Jews (Economists 33). In 1349, in Strasbourg, several cities accused Jews of poisoning. their water reserves. Groups of people killed about two thousand Jews too, which took 6 days (Ed 438). there were more deaths, more ditches were created (Saylor 10 With many people dying, the population decline due to the Black Death led many people across Europe to persecute the Jews in. Europe allowed land to become available, decreasing the value of land. As more and more landowners died, land no longer had value. As the economy collapsed, it felt like the end of the world was truly coming to an end..