quickly, but not before developing evident symptoms: a sudden fever that turned the face a dark rose color, a sudden attack of sneezing, followed by coughing, coughing up blood, and death (Nelson, 1995, par. 16).The disease soon spread all over Europe bringing death to its vulnerable populace. Based from readings taken from books and articles in the internet, the effects of the Black Death on the men and women of medieval Europe were profound. Each of the effects is elaborated in the following pages.The first noticeable effect was population loss. According to Knox (1995), the plague came to Europe in the fall of 1347. By 1350 it had largely passed out of western Europe. And in the space of two years (between 1347-1350), one out of every three people was dead (Knox, 1995). However, Knox added that some areas suffered little, others suffered far more. Also, certain professions suffered higher mortality, especially those whose duties brought them into contact with the sick--doctors and clergy (Knox, 1995). Another effect brought about by the Black Death in Europe is the economic disruption. According to Knox, cities were hit hard by the plague. Financial business was disrupted as debtors died and their creditors found themselves without recourse (Knox, 1995). Not only had the creditor died, his whole family had died with him and many of his kinsmen. There was simply no one to collect from (Knox, 1995). Also, construction projects stopped for a time or were abandoned altogether. Guilds lost their craftsmen and could not replace them (Knox, 1995). Mills and other special machinery might break and the one man in town who had the skill to repair it had died in the plague (Knox, 1995). Herlihy (1997) contends that the numerous deaths did prove to be a terrible but effective catalyst for social renewal. The deaths broke demographic, economic, and technological deadlocks by depleting the work force and raising labor costs (Herlihy, 1...
