Podcast #299: Black Death, Lice, Math, and Pottery

Author: Chris Holmes, M.D.

Educational Pearls

• It’s estimated that about 25 million people died during the Black Plaque. Researchers have confirmed this number by assessing how much old, broken pottery was buried in front of homes and churches from that time period.
• Traditional thinking has been that the Black Plague was spread primarily by flea bites. However, using mathematical modeling, researchers have theorized that person-to-person spread was more common.

References: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/05/24/broken-pottery-reveals-the-sheer-devastation-caused-by-the-black-death/