THE BLACK DEATH
An epidemic is a disease that spreads first in public at a certain rate. The Black Death was an epidemic that was experienced in Europe in the year 1347-1351. Millions of European people perished due to the plague, which was the first Medieval epidemic (Spyrou, 2016). The Black Death caused indiscriminate deaths leading particular effects in the European community. Age estimation and skeletal samples were among the studies done to show how the great outbreak affected in the community.
The transition analysis method of age estimation was used instead of traditional methods. It increases efficiency from that of the traditional methods used to provide age estimates for adults. Data collected for a particular age contains conditional probability, Pr(cj|a) which exhibits a skeleton for a certain age stage given a person’s known age (De Witte, 2012). Conditional probability is then combined with Bayer’s theorem where ages are distributed at death to show the probability of a skeleton in a cemetery that it died a certain age.
Medieval London Cemeteries is the home of all skeletal samples. There are no records kept that show the number of people buried or their names. The immediate conclusion is there are no living descendants of those people who died. Peoples standard of living changed due the great mortality, they migrated from their origins in search for new habitats to improve their living standards.
Survivorship improved due to the above discussed study. The Black Death epidemic expressed that infectious diseases have an effect in population shape changing the future patterns of health and demography.
References
Spyrou, M. A., Tukhbatova, R. I., Feldman, M., Drath, J., Kacki, S., de Heredia, J. B., … & Gazimzyanov, I. R. (2016). Historical Y. pestis genomes reveal the European Black Death as the source of ancient and modern plague pandemics. Cell Host & Microbe, 19(6), 874-881.
DeWitte, S. N., & Hughes-Morey, G. (2012). Stature and frailty during the Black Death: the effect of stature on risks of epidemic mortality in London, AD 1348–1350. Journal of Archaeological Science, 39(5), 1412-1419.