Sloan A W
S Afr Med J. 1981 Apr 25;59(18):646-50.
From 1348 to 1350 Europe was devastated by an epidemic of plague, called at the time the Great Mortality and later the Black Death. The epidemic reached southern Europe from the Middle East and spread northward, reaching England in June 1348. Contemporary descriptions leave no doubt of the diagnosis, but estimates of the mortality differ widely owing to lack of contemporary statistics; in England it was probably between one-third and one-half of the population. The Black Death and subsequent plague epidemics in the 14th century had marked social and economic effects, reduced the prestige of the Church and off the medical profession, and were a factor in the social unrest which led to the Renaissance of the Reformation.
1348年至1350年期间，欧洲遭受了一场鼠疫疫情的重创，当时称之为“大死亡”，后来被称为“黑死病”。这场疫情从中东蔓延至南欧，并向北扩散，于1348年6月抵达英格兰。当时的描述无疑证实了这一诊断，但由于缺乏当时的统计数据，对死亡率的估计差异很大；在英格兰，死亡率可能在人口的三分之一到二分之一之间。14世纪的黑死病及随后的鼠疫疫情产生了显著的社会和经济影响，降低了教会和医学界的威望，并且是导致宗教改革文艺复兴的社会动荡的一个因素。
