Comments on: The “Black Death” Bacterium Began Its Rampage in China

By: Aja Alyssa

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By: brownyneal

brownyneal — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 22:48:10 +0000

By the 1300s the Mongol Empire extended across most of Asia and into Eastern Europe. In the mid 1300s it collapsed because of the plague. The Mongols wealth was based on trade and they maintained trade routes and way stations for traders across Asia. The reason why Macro Polo was able to go to China was because the Mongols had consolidated the trade routes and it operated under a single system.

The Mongols pick up the plague in their trade, possible from incursions into IndoChina. In 1328, the Mongol ruling family underwent a large number of successions. Perhaps an indication of plague. By 1331, 90 percent of the residents of what is now Hopei Province died of plague. By 1351 half to 2/3 of east Asians died of plague.

The plague spread among the Mongol trade routes, wiping out whole populations in some of the trading stations. This shut down the trade route, isolated the Mongol Empire into smaller units and disrupted trade. It basically ended their empire.

The plague spread to Constantinople and from their by ship to Italy. The plague had already devastated much of Asia before it ever reached Europe. Western Europe at the time was mystified about the origins, but a reading of Asian history helps put the pieces together of the plague origins and its movement.

By: delta9

delta9 — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:33:05 +0000

If you wonder why China…..Look to the yellow river, that’s where scientist go when new diseases appear. Whats in near the yellow river..that is ideal breeding grounds for all sorts of fun stuff.

By: mtm

mtm — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 11:55:53 +0000

>why China
Mongol invasion and massacres left cities clogged with human corpses. Ideal breeding ground really.

By: Dragon

Dragon — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 01:15:16 +0000

Chinese may not have had cats along with their ships, as some European ships did.

By: Brian Too

Brian Too — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 23:21:49 +0000

Very cool that we can go back and say something important about an event that was epochal in European history. Something that was feared, mysterious, and largely disappeared before the advent of modern medicine and science.

But now there’s a question. Why don’t we hear more about the impact of plague upon China and the intervening territories?

By: Sherlow

Sherlow — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 03:05:54 +0000

Perhaps the bacterium came to Europe in the 14th century on the Chinese ships which visited there periodically for trade. The Chinese were well know sailors who travelled throughout Asia and set up trading posts throughout their trading empire. It is quite possible they travelled to Europe to check out trading possibilities which may have resulted in bringing the plaque with them on one of their stops along the way.

By: ross

ross — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 22:35:58 +0000

Another reason that I’ve heard to play down the Silk Road route is that the bacteria favored the brown rat, which tends not to range far from coastal regions. A Silk Road vector would require the hosts to stay alive for long periods of inland travel.