What is interesting about this article is that they are saying that the average person lived longer after the Black Death killed almost 50% of the population of Europe. Why was this?
People who were more intelligent and resourceful would tend to survive a plague like this in general. This would mean more people left alive who had children would teach them how to survive not only things like the Black Plague but also all problems they might face in life. So, the more resourceful and intelligent people with stronger immune systems would be left to breed and still be alive on into the future. So, many genetic characteristics would have been lost along with the plague that were less resourceful for surviving plagues.
The Black Death, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, wiped out 30 to 50 percent of Europe's population between 1347 and 1351. But, this is just the most infamous of the little microbe's shenanigans.May 12, 2014
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Black Death: The Upside To The Plague Killing Half Of Europe
The Black Death, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, wiped out 30 to 50 percent of Europe's population between 1347 and 1351. But, this is just the most infamous of the little microbe's shenanigans. Y. pestis, which is one-millionth our size, has caused three major pandemics and continues killing people to this very day. The plague gets such a bad rap because it represents some of the greatest tragedies to ever befall the human race.
Can anything nice be said about the plague? As it turns out, yes. A new analysis by Sharon DeWitte in PLoS ONE suggests a silver lining: Black Death survivors and their descendants were healthier and longer-living, meaning that the plague served as a gigantic natural selection event eliminating many of the weak and frail from the population.
Because so many people died, it was widely assumed that the Black Death killed indiscriminately. But that's not true. Elderly people and those who were in poor health to begin with were much likelier to die. To be sure, the plague kills healthy people, too. But, as with most infectious diseases, healthy people have a better chance at surviving. Ironically, the Europeans who made it through the Black Death inherited a much better world. Food prices dropped, labor wages increased, and there was a boost in the standard of living.
Dr. DeWitte examined the skeletal remains of 464 pre-Black Death Londoners who died in the 11th to 13th Centuries. She also examined the remains of 133 post-Black Death Londoners who died between 1350 and the mid-16th Century. Given the better standard of living following the Black Death, Dr. DeWitte reasoned that the post-Black Death population should have lived longer. And that's exactly what she found.
As shown, the survival curve for post-Black Death Londoners was greatly improved compared to the pre-Black Death survival curve. A much greater fraction of the population survived to middle age and beyond.
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