The past, present and future of the bubonic plague - Sharon N. DeWitte

Prošlost, sadašnjost i budućnost bubonske kuge - Sharon N. DeWitte

Prevoditelj: Martina Valković Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

Imagine if half the people in your neighborhood, your city,

Zamislite da je pola ljudi iz vašeg susjedstva, grada,

or even your whole country were wiped out.

ili čak čitave vaše zemlje, istrijebljeno.

It might sound like something out of an apocalyptic horror film,

Možda zvuči kao nešto proizašlo iz apokaliptičnog horor filma,

but it actually happened in the 14th century

no to se zaista dogodilo u 14. stoljeću,

during a disease outbreak known as the Black Death.

tijekom pandemije poznate kao Crna smrt.

Spreading from China through Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe,

Šireći se od Kine preko Azije, Bliskog istoka, Afrike i Europe,

the devastating epidemic destroyed as much as 1/5 of the world's population,

razarajuća epidemija uništila je čak 1/5 svjetske populacije,

killing nearly 50% of Europeans in just four years.

ubivši gotovo 50% Europljana u samo četiri godine.

One of the most fascinating and puzzling things abut the Black Death

Jedna od najfascinantnijih i zagonetnijih činjenica o Crnoj smrti

is that the illness itself was not a new phenomenon

jest da sama bolest nije bila novi fenomen,

but one that has affected humans for centuries.

već je stoljećima pogađala ljude.

DNA analysis of bone and tooth samples from this period,

DNK analiza uzoraka kosti i zuba iz ovog perioda,

as well as an earlier epidemic known as the Plague of Justinian in 541 CE,

kao i iz jedne ranije epidemije poznate kao Justinijanova kuga iz 541. god.,

has revealed that both were caused by Yersinia pestis,

otkrila je da su obje epidemije uzrokovane Yersinijom pestis,

the same bacterium that causes bubonic plague today.

istom bakterijom koja i danas uzrokuje bubonsku kugu.

What this means is that the same disease caused by the same pathogen

To znači da se ista bolest, uzrokovana istim patogenom,

can behave and spread very differently throughout history.

može kroz povijest ponašati i širiti jako različito.

Even before the use of antibiotics, the deadliest oubreaks in modern times,

Čak i prije upotrebe antibiotika, najsmrtonosnija izbijanja u moderno doba,

such as the ones that occurred in early 20th century India,

poput onih koja su se dogodila u Indiji u ranom 20.-om stoljeću,

killed no more than 3% of the population.

nisu ubila više od 3% populacije.

Modern instances of plague also tend to remain localized,

Također, moderni slučajevi kuge teže ostati lokalizirani,

or travel slowly, as they are spread by rodent fleas.

ili putuju sporo, kako ih prenose buhe glodavaca.

But the medieval Black Death, which spread like wildfire,

No srednjovjekovna Crna smrt, koja se širila poput požara,

was most likely communicated directly from one person to another.

najvjerojatnije je prenošena direktno s čovjeka na čovjeka.

And because genetic comparisons of ancient to modern strains of Yersinia pestis

I zato što genetičke usporedbe drevnih i modernih sojeva Yersinije pestis

have not revealed any significantly functional genetic differences,

nisu pokazale značajno funkcionalne genetičke razlike,

the key to why the earlier outbreak was so much deadlier

odgovor zašto je ranije izbijanje bilo toliko smrtonosnije

must lie not in the parasite but the host.

mora ležati ne u parazitu, već u domaćinu.

For about 300 years during the High Middle Ages,

Otprilike 300 godina, za vrijeme razvijenog srednjeg vijeka

a warmer climate and agricultural improvements

toplija klima i napredak u poljoprivredi

had led to explosive population growth throughout Europe.

doveli su do eksplozivnog rasta populacije diljem Europe.

But with so many new mouths to feed,

Ali, s toliko novih gladnih usta,

the end of this warm period spelled disaster.

kraj ovog toplog perioda značio je katastrofu.

High fertility rates combined with reduced harvest,

Visoke stope fertiliteta u kombinaciji sa smanjenim urodima

meant the land could no longer support its population,

značile su da zemlja ne može više prehranjivati svoju populaciju,

while the abundant supply of labor kept wages low.

dok je obilna ponuda rada nadnice održavala niskima.

As a result, most Europeans in the early 14th century

Kao rezultat, većina Europljana u ranom 14. stoljeću

experienced a steady decline in living standards,

doživjela je postojan pad životnog standarda, obilježen

marked by famine, poverty and poor health, leaving them vulnerable to infection.

glađu, siromaštvom i slabim zdravljem, zbog čega su bili podložni infekcijama.

And indeed, the skeletal remains of Black Death victims found in London

I zaista, ostaci kostura žrtava Crne smrti pronađeni u Londonu

show telltale signs of malnutrition and prior illness.

odaju znakove pothranjenosti i prethodne bolesti.

The destruction caused by the Black Death changed humanity in two important ways.

Crnom smrti uzrokovano razaranje je izmijenilo čovječanstvo na dva načina.

On a societal level, the rapid loss of population

Na razini društva, ubrzani gubici stanovništva

led to important changes in Europe's economic conditions.

doveli su do važnih promjena u europskim ekonomskim uvjetima.

With more food to go around,

S više hrane na raspolaganju,

as well as more land and better pay for the surviving farmers and workers,

kao i s više zemlje i boljim plaćama za preživjele seljake i radnike, ljudi su

people began to eat better and live longer as studies of London cemeteries have shown.

počeli bolje jesti i živjeti dulje, što su pokazala istraživanja londonskih groblja.

Higher living standards also brought an increase in social mobility,

Viši životni standard je također doveo do porasta u društvenoj mobilnosti,

weakening feudalism, and eventually leading to political reforms.

slabljenja feudalizma i, konačno, političkih reformi.

But the plague also had an important biological impact.

No, kuga je također imala i važan biološki utjecaj.

The sudden death of so many of the most frail and vulnerable people

Iznenadna smrt toliko najkrhkijih i najranjivijih ljudi ostavila je iza sebe

left behind a population with a significantly different gene pool,

populaciju s vrlo drugačijim genetskim bazenom, uključujući

including genes that may have helped survivors resist the disease.

gene koji su možda pomogli preživjelima u odolijevanju bolesti.

And because such mutations often confer immunities

I zato što takve mutacije često daju imunitet

to multiple pathogens that work in similar ways,

za multiple patogene koji djeluju na slične načine,

research to discover the genetic consequences of the Black Death

istraživanje o genetičkim posljedicama Crne smrti

has the potential to be hugely beneficial.

potencijalno je vrlo korisno.

Today, the threat of an epidemic on the scale of the Black Death

Danas, prijetnja epidemije na razini Crne kuge

has been largely eliminated thanks to antibiotics.

uglavnom je eliminirana zahvaljujući antibioticima.

But the bubonic plague continues to kill a few thousand people worldwide every year,

No, bubonska kuga nastavlja odnositi nekoliko tisuća života godišnje,

and the recent emergence of a drug-resistant strain

a nedavna pojava soja otpornog na lijekove

threatens the return of darker times.

prijeti povratkom crnih vremena.

Learning more about the causes and effects of the Black Death is important,

Šira spoznaja o uzrocima i posljedicama Crne smrti je važna,

not just for understanding how our world has been shaped by the past.

ne samo kako bi razumijeli način na koji je naš svijet oblikovan prošlošću.

It may also help save us from a similar nightmare in the future.

Mogla bi nas, također, spasiti od slične noćne more u budućnosti.