[Tokra]

I just finished reading a book about the Bubonic Plague. It's hard for us to comprehend the staggering death toll. It wasn't as though one out of every three people dropped dead - there were certain areas (most of Scotland and Poland) and some isolated towns and villages that were untouched. There were many more cities and towns were everybody died. One of the major problems was that there was no one left in some of these places to bury the dead.

Some of the writings and diaries left by the survivors are heartbreaking to read. It was a terrible death - huge growths appeared under a persons arms, their skin turned dark purple, they became delerious and usually died within a few days.

The people of that time tried everything they could think of - but since they knew nothing about how viruses travel, it was all to no avail. Many thought it was the end of the world. It was, for millions.

[twigs]

NOVA, I think, has a program about survivors of the plague. If a person was a descendent of two parents with a certain gene, they wouldn't die from it. Descendents of one parent with it tended to get sick, but recover. Some modern-day descendents have been proven to be immune from the AIDS virus. The program tested one homesexual man with risky behaviors who was apparently one of these descendents. It is a fascinating study if you get a chance to watch it.

[Wage Slave]

What is the name of the book? It sounds like the kind of book I would like.

[blam]

"I just finished reading a book about the Bubonic Plague. "

I'd like to know the name of the book too.

I've read recently that some are beginning to think there were two different diseases involved in the Black Death.

[blam]

Read This:

Historical Review: Megadrought And Megadeath In 16th Century Mexico (Hemorragic Fever)