Last Podcast On The Left
Last Podcast On The Left
"The Black Death, aka the Great Mortality, aka the Big Death, was a medieval pandemic that killed over a third of Europe in the 14th century." — Marcus Parks
"The culprit is a bacterium called Yersinia Pestis, which is a different sort of organism than the viruses and parasites that we mostly deal with today." — Henry Zabrowski
"The Black Death would not have been able to annihilate Europe as thoroughly as it did had Europe not been in a particularly vulnerable state, because as I can't stress enough, the 14th century was the worst century to be alive." — Ben Kissel
This episode of The Last Podcast on the Left meticulously details the historical impact of the Black Death, a devastating pandemic that swept through Europe in the 14th century, claiming an estimated one-third of the continent's population. The hosts discuss the various scientific theories regarding its origin, transmission, and spread, focusing on the bacterium Yersinia pestis and its vectors, primarily fleas on rodents. They explore different forms of the plague, including bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic, describing the horrific symptoms and high mortality rates associated with each.
The discussion extends beyond the biological aspects to encompass the profound societal and cultural consequences of the Black Death. The podcast highlights how the pandemic caused immense social disruption, challenged existing religious beliefs, and altered economic structures. Various historical accounts and anecdotal evidence are presented to illustrate the fear, panic, and drastic measures taken by populations and authorities alike. The hosts also touch upon the less discussed but equally impactful earlier pandemics, such as the Plague of Justinian and the Plague of Galen, and their roles in shaping Roman and early Christian history.
Further into the episode, the hosts delve into the environmental and societal conditions that exacerbated the plague's spread, including poor sanitation in medieval cities, dense living conditions, and the role of trade routes in facilitating its rapid dissemination across continents. They also explore alternative hypotheses for the plague's origin and recurrence, including theories involving anthrax and even extraterrestrial origins, before ultimately circling back to the established understanding of rodent and flea transmission, with a nuanced look at the potential role of gerbils and marmots alongside the commonly cited black rat.