According to a study by Dr. Sharon De Witte of the University of South Carolina in the United States, the health of generations after the great Black Death epidemic that ravaged Europe in the 14th century improved markedly.
The descendants of the survivors of that plague, one of the most devastating in history (it killed tens of millions of Europeans between 1347 and 1351), increased their longevity and their ability to survive.
Previous research had already shown that the disease mainly affected the elderly, sick or weak ; but little is known about general changes in the population, such as overall health and mortality, before and after the Plague.
The truth is that after it happened, living standards, especially diet, improved. De Witte has specifically analyzed whether the high mortality of the weakest during the Black Death, combined with the subsequent increase in quality of life, could have produced a healthy trend in the population in post-epidemic London.
In addition to the data available from historical documentation (tax records and post-mortem analysis), De Witte took samples of some 600 pre and post Black Death skeletons from various London cemeteries, analyzed their age, mortality risks and data on the birth rate of the time.
Among the post Black Death bodies there was a higher proportion of the elderly, suggesting that survival may have improved after the epidemic. Furthermore, overall mortality risks were lower in the post-epidemic population.
Taken together, the results indicate increased survival and decreased mortality after the Black Death and consequently improved health in some age groups . Other factors may have influenced these differences, such as the migration of people to London after the plague, but De Witte suggests that the study highlights the power that infectious diseases can have in shaping health and demographic patterns both in the short term. as long-term.
