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Black Death 'Was Not Plague' Say Experts
Ananova ^
| 4-12-2002
Posted on 04/12/2002 5:43:45 AM PDT by blam
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1
posted on
04/12/2002 5:43:45 AM PDT
by
blam
To: blam
So, what was it? The Flu?
To: blam
The modern version of the plague usually occurs when there is an increase in the number of rat deaths - something not recorded during the 1300s. My quibble with this is that I doubt that this(a rat dieoff) would be considered of great importance at the time and that the records we have are no where near as complete as you would think.
I am not saying that they are wrong but that I think that this is a far to flimsy hook to hang this theory on.
a. cricket
To: blam
The modern version of the plague usually occurs when there is an increase in the number of rat deaths - something not recorded during the 1300s. My quibble with this is that I doubt that this(a rat dieoff) would be considered of great importance at the time and that the records we have are no where near as complete as you would think.
I am not saying that they are wrong but that I think that this is a far to flimsy hook to hang this theory on.
a. cricket
To: another cricket
Sorry for the double post
Sorry for the double post
I promise I only hit the button once.
a. cricket
To: another cricket
I've often wondered if we might check some of the 'bog mummies' from that period. They are apparently completely intact. Maybe find some antigens, huh?
6
posted on
04/12/2002 7:40:20 AM PDT
by
blam
To: blam
Ancestor to AIDS but a lot faster?
To: blam
Wouldn't the chemicals from the bog have caused enough changes in the mummy that this would be difficult?
a. cricket
To: blam
"barriers which would have restricted rats" It is these same barriers that have, for centuries now, have restricted rats from...where?
You would think someone who spends so much lab time with rats would not so pathetically underestimate them.
9
posted on
04/12/2002 9:38:35 AM PDT
by
laotzu
To: laotzu
The barriers should have proven to slow down the spread of the disease if the disease were carried by rats. I don't think they are saying that the barriers kept rats isolated but that they certainly hamper the intermingling of rat populations necessary to spread the disease. And it seems that the data implies that there was no sign of barriers effecting the rate/ratio of exposure.
This was the age of exploration, who knows what African/Asian disease was aboard that ship to Italy (It was Italy wasn't it?)?
EBUCK
10
posted on
04/12/2002 10:50:14 AM PDT
by
EBUCK
Comment #11 Removed by Moderator
To: lepton; bitwhacker
Bring out your dead! ping.
To: another cricket
"Wouldn't the chemicals from the bog have caused enough changes in the mummy that this would be difficult?" Not sure. Doesn't seem to affect the DNA but, I don't know about such things.
13
posted on
04/12/2002 11:43:37 AM PDT
by
blam
To: blam
I've often wondered if we might check some of the 'bog mummies' from that period. Bog mummies are 1000, or more, years older than when the black death occurred.
To: seamole
"If they're lucky, maybe some live virus!" Oops. Not so sure about that one. (Will you file this in the Gods, Graves, Glyphs section? I don't know how, thanks)
15
posted on
04/12/2002 12:15:04 PM PDT
by
blam
To: curmudgeonII
"Bog mummies are 1000, or more, years older than when the black death occurred." I was afraid that that was the case. (There must be something somewhere we could check, huh?)
16
posted on
04/12/2002 12:17:21 PM PDT
by
blam
To: Just another Joe
"Ancestor to AIDS but a lot faster?" Perhaps? (We are the ancestors of the survivors of this plague, so presumably we have some immunity.)
17
posted on
04/12/2002 12:20:21 PM PDT
by
blam
To: blam
Actually the plague was supposedly passed not by rats directly, but the fleas the rats had.
Back then, people often had fleas too.
-Eric
18
posted on
04/12/2002 12:22:56 PM PDT
by
E Rocc
To: blam
There have been exhumations performed on folks that supposedly died from the plague. There have also been supposedly successful "harvesting" exhumations. I'll look it up to see what they found.
EBUCK
19
posted on
04/12/2002 12:29:45 PM PDT
by
EBUCK
To: EBUCK
"I'll look it up to see what they found." Thanks. I'd appreciate it.
20
posted on
04/12/2002 12:34:36 PM PDT
by
blam
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