|
Plague is an ancient disease that has
severely affected mankind, especially during three worldwide
epidemics, or pandemics. The first pandemic, the Plague of
Justinian, probably began in Africa and was first recorded
in Egypt in 541 AD. In the spring of 542 AD, probably
carried on grain ships from Egypt, the disease entered
Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, and
from there spread westward across Europe. It killed
millions, depopulating towns and whole regions. Outbreaks
continued for fifty to sixty years before the disease
abruptly disappeared.
In the mid-1300's, plague erupted
again. This outbreak, known as the Black Death, destroyed
much of medieval society. The pandemic started in central
Asia and spread south and east to India and China. In 1348,
Genoese traders returning from the east introduced the
disease into Italy. With tremendous speed, plague spread
throughout Europe, killing at least one-third of the
population. Local epidemics continued for 400 years, one of
the worst being the Great Plague of London, which took
100,000 lives in 1664.
The third pandemic, called the
Modern Plague, started in Asia in the 1850's, and lasted for
100 years. Most of the world was affected, including areas
where plague had long been absent or had never previously
been observed.
While plague may have already been
present in America, the western United States became a new
known region of permanent plague infestation at this time.
By 1910 it had been found in ten California counties, and by
1950 it had been recorded in 15 western states,
approximately 40 percent of the continental United States.
Currently, plague is found from the Pacific Ocean east to
Kansas and Texas, and also in parts of Mexico and Canada.
|
