Black Plague series

By tsmith on March 19, 2008.

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 1: Objections to Y. pestis causation

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 2: Examination of the criticisms

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 3: Paleomicrobiology and the detection of Y. pestis in corpses

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 4: Plague in modern times

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 5: Nail in the coffin

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"What caused the Black Plague?" series

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 1: Objections to Y. pestis causation Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 2: Examination of the criticisms Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 3: Paleomicrobiology and the detection of Y. pestis in corpses Did…

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 3: Paleomicrobiology and the detection of Y. pestis in corpses

In parts one and two of the "What caused the Black Plague?" series, I discussed objections that had been raised to the conclusion that the bacterium Yersinia pestis was the cause of this pandemic, and the weaknesses with those criticisms. In today's installation, I'll discuss actual molecular…

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 1: Objections to Y. pestis causation

As I noted last week, Shelley mentioned a topic that's been brought up here a few times in the comments section: alternative theories for causes of the Black Plague (the devastating plague that ravaged Europe beginning in ~1347 and eventually killed more than a third of the population). Though…

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 2: Examination of the criticisms

Yesterday I introduced criticisms that have been raised against Y. pestis causation of the Black Death and subsequent plague outbreaks. Today I'll discuss what I see as weaknesses in these criticisms, after the jump. Selective quoting and interpretation of evidence First and foremost, a big…

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