ALEXANDER YERSIN – YERSINIA PESTIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56238/arev7n11-200Keywords:
Black Death, Pandemics, Yersinia pestis, Alexandre Yersin, Demographic ImpactAbstract
This article describes the history of plague, contextualizing the three major pandemics: the Plague of Justinian (541 CE), the Black Death (1347 CE), and the Third Pandemic (1894 CE). The Black Death is presented as the most devastating, responsible for the death of up to 50% of the European population and a catalyst for significant social and economic transformations. Recent research, utilizing paleoecology, questions the uniformity of the Black Death's demographic impact, suggesting regional variations in mortality and agricultural growth. The central focus is Alexandre Yersin, a Swiss-French scientist from the Pasteur Institute. In 1894, during an outbreak in Hong Kong, Yersin isolated and identified the bacillus causing the plague, subsequently named Yersinia pestis. The text narrates his arduous journey, his rivalry with Kitasato Shibasaburo, and how, despite unfavorable conditions, his discovery was crucial and formally recognized decades later. Yersin's contribution was fundamental to understanding the disease's epidemiology and to the development of treatments. The article concludes that, although plague is now more controllable, sporadic cases still occur globally, and there are concerns about potential resurgences, accidental or intentional, highlighting the continued relevance of research into the disease.
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