Venice established the world’s first institutionalized system of quarantine
In 1348, Venice established the world’s first institutionalized system of quarantine that gave a council of three the…
Fleas riding on black rats in the holds of Italian ships brought Yersina pestis to the Sicilian port of Messina
In 1346, spread by infected galleys coming from Kaffa (Crimea), the Black Death reached Genoa, as it now…
The Third Lateran Council decreed with Canon 23 separate living arrangements for lepers
In 1179, the Third Lateran Council decreed with Canon 23 living arrangements for lepers and how their necessary…
Outbreaks of bubonic plague declined after claiming half of Europe’s population
In 541, an outbreak of bubonic plague (yersina pestis), a bacterial disease later named the Black Plague or…
DNA evidence of plague found in Europe
Evidence from 4,800 to 3,700 years ago suggested the plague-causing bacterium Yersinia pestis, first arrived in Europe during…