My understanding was that after the initial spread of bubonic plague by fleas, many of those affected developed pneumonic plague, and that was what most people died of, as Cat Skyfire indicated. Of course, we'll likely never know if there was an unusually warm winter that year whcih might have affected the spread of bubonic plague as well.

Susan Saarinen, Golden, CO

Wouldn't the rats be in their houses, all nice and warm?

Jon Carry, Boston, MA

Perhaps the historians need to clarify what they're looking at. There is bubonic plague and pneumonic plague. They're both similar, and hit at the same time. Pneumonic, however, can spread by air, and doesn't need the fleas and rats.

Cat Skyfire, Lincoln, NE, USA

I positively stew every time I see a special on The History Channel blabbing on about rats and plague. I wrote a 120 page thesis on this exact topic four years ago. At the time, Scott's info was terrifically helpful, and it's wonderful to see the "expert" world come around to a "revisionist" idea. The story IS years old, but it needs to be reiterated. It does not do anyone any good to perpetuate the legend of the rat/flea mechanism, particularly in this age. Who knew the first potential bio-terrorist would be a self-important trial lawyer from Georgia?

erin, new york, ny

First of all, the Bubonic plague is caused by the bacteria Yersina pestis, and is the most likely candidate of Black Death....the plague still exists and infects people every year in the United States and elsewhere. The symptoms of Black Death described in other documents match Bubonic plague.
Secondly, Bubonic plague is vectored by fleas, not rats. Rats are the most well known reservoir for the disease, but other rodents can also function as reservoirs.
Bubonic plague does not completely rely on fleas breeding. It can also be caught by coming in contact with fluids and such from infected rodents and people. There is also a form of Bubonic plague, called Pneumonic plague, which is spread human-to-human.
And finally, it is perfectly plausible that these people were killed by something other than plague. Just because they got sick during the Black Death doesn't mean it WAS Black Death. There were a lot of diseases going around back then.

Meghan, Burlington, Canada

Yeah, about 658 years old

ade, ellemere,

This info is years old.

Gerry, exeter, england devon

the black death is a confusing epidemic.. to many people have different veiws on it .. can i have a persise point of veiw..

ashley elwell, hopewell, virginia

There are many contemporary records that state there were wet mild seasons. Also, if we accept Horrox's view that we are looking at a more virulent mutation of yersinia pestis then arguments fall away. Fleas can live for 80 days without a host and the disease can be spread by inhaling flea faeces from clothing and bedding. The records for mortality rates and symptoms are just too vague or unevenly recorded for a modern-day comparison with the spread of bubonic plague at the end of the 19th early 20th century.

VAnessa King, London, England

I would tend to agree ordinarily with Dr Scott, however, I would prefer to know what the climatic conditions of 1348-9 were first. Was it perhaps an unusually warm winter? Even in Canada, if we have an unusually warm winter, fleas will survive. This would be even more likely in Britain in town environments with extended families living in close proximity.

Beth Dewsbery, Johannesburg, South Africa