BearBio
Buckeye
I am watching a "Great Courses" lecture series on the Black Death. The parallels are REALLY scary! Several cities and economic groups partied and opened up commerce before they should have; the speed with which the disease(s) (there may have been more than one!) spread, etc. (The first cases were reported in early 1347 by summer, most seaports were decimated as were Sicily, Mallorca, Sardinia as well as Genoa, Florence, Milan and Marseille==the number of Last Testaments recorded with the authorities went from 2-3 a year to over 200 per month!) The Great Mortality (better term than Black Death and one used by the survivors themselves) would kill 80% or more in some areas (e.g. Sicily, Mallorca, Sardinia) in sometimes a month or two. Ethnic groups were blamed (Jews in the Middle Ages; Chinese now), breakdown of infrastructure, especially police.
Anyway, a COMPLETE shift occurred in such things as availability of medical care, rise of the middle class, wages for work (The workers were more in demand, so they themselves could demand more), agricultural practices, almost EVERY facet of life, industry, religion (lead to the rise of Protestantism), Universities, etc. People had to adapt.
If anyone is interested in seeing it, it is available on Amazon Prime for free ("The Black Death").
I expect this will have a long-term impact, no matter what happens! A REAL game-changer!
Anyway, a COMPLETE shift occurred in such things as availability of medical care, rise of the middle class, wages for work (The workers were more in demand, so they themselves could demand more), agricultural practices, almost EVERY facet of life, industry, religion (lead to the rise of Protestantism), Universities, etc. People had to adapt.
If anyone is interested in seeing it, it is available on Amazon Prime for free ("The Black Death").
I expect this will have a long-term impact, no matter what happens! A REAL game-changer!
