New findings on the Medieval and Justinian Plague

[Eleatic Guest]

A DNA analysis has found out that the plague bacteria which caused the Black Death in the 14th century was a very recent mutation - it did not develop before 1282. This also means that the Justinian plague must have been caused by another plague bacterium or an altogether different pathogenic organism.

Pest-Genom entziffert. Am Anfang war der Schwarze Tod

[Epictetus]

This is interesting. Over the summer I read a number of articles on the Antonine Plague, including several that tried to match Galen's description with the known symptoms of diseases we know today. The general consensus was smallpox, but that was only the best available choice from today's diseases, and many of Galen's symptoms didn't match. A few writers suggested that it was something different. The diseases that affected the ancients may have been quite a bit different from what modern medicine knows today.

[Robert Vermaat]

This is interesting. Over the summer I read a number of articles on the Antonine Plague, including several that tried to match Galen's description with the known symptoms of diseases we know today. The general consensus was smallpox, but that was only the best available choice from today's diseases, and many of Galen's symptoms didn't match. A few writers suggested that it was something different. The diseases that affected the ancients may have been quite a bit different from what modern medicine knows today.

Another point we may to take into account that these plagues may not necessarily have been one singular disease. The Black Death occurred and re-occurred over a number of years so perhaps there was more than one disease active? This would also confirm the differences in ancient descriptions?