The plague (known as the Black Death during the Middle Ages) was a bacterial infection that affected Europe and Asia between the 14th and 17th centuries. The plague originated in Central Asia in the 1300s and reached Italy via trade routes in 1345. By 1348 the disease had reached England and was spreading widely throughout Europe. The disease was transmitted by fleas living on small rodents and spread throughout Europe and Asia via traders and crusaders on boats. There were three different types of plague, each with its own very serious symptoms. The most common type was bubonic plague, an infection of the lymphatic system. Bubonic plague gets its name from the buboes (swollen lymph nodes) that developed around the armpit, groin and neck with the disease. In addition to the buboes, infected people also developed gangrene in the extremities, high fever, chills, headache, muscle cramps, etc. Bubonic plague was spread when someone was bitten by an animal or flea and came into contact with the plague bacteria, or when someone came into direct contact with an infected animal. This...