Did the Black Death make us HEALTHIER? Bones reveal populations lived longer after the plague because it wiped out the weak

Researchers sampled 600 skeletons taken from London cemeteries

They estimated the ages of the deceased before modelling mortality risks



Post-Black Death samples had a higher proportion of older adults

This suggests survival rates may have improved following the epidemic

Analysis also found mortality risks were lower in post-plague populations

Researchers studying the skeletons of 14th century Londoners found life expectancy improved following the plague. Illustration by Kitty Shannon pictured

The Black Death may have wiped out millions of people, but it also made the surviving residents of London healthier.

Researchers studying the skeletons of 14th century Londoners found life expectancy improved in the generations following the great plague.

And this may have been because the disease wiped out the weak and elderly, leaving only the strongest members of the population.

Previous studies have shown the Black Death targeted elderly adults and the sick across Europe from around 1347 to 1351.

However, not much is known about any substantial changes in the population, such as overall health and mortality, before and after the epidemic.

Doctor Sharon DeWitte, of the University of South Carolina, examined whether the deaths of frail people during the Black Death, combined with consequent rising standards of living - particularly in diet - may have resulted in a healthier post-epidemic population in London.

Most available information is in historical documentation, such as tax records and post-mortem analysis, but for the new study Dr DeWitte sampled nearly 600 skeletons from several pre and post-plague London cemeteries.

She then analysed their age and modelled age estimates, mortality hazards, and birth rate data for the samples.

The post-Black Death samples had a higher proportion of older adults, suggesting that survival may have improved following the epidemic.

A total of 600 skeletons from London cemeteries were analysed. Researchers used the bones to model age estimates and mortality risks. The post-plague samples had a higher proportion of older adults, suggesting survival improved after the epidemic. Stock image of skeletons found with signs of the plague pictured

THE BLACK DEATH IN EUROPE

The Black Death is thought to have killed between 75 and 200 million people across Europe from 1347 to 1351.

Recent analysis of DNA from victims indicated the pathogen responsible for the plague was the Yersinia pestis bacterium. It is believed to have originated in central Asia, before reaching the Crimea by 1346.

Rats are thought to have carried infected fleas on merchant ships throughout the Mediterranean and Europe. Research suggests it took 150 years for Europe's population to recover from the effects of the plague.

And results of hazards analysis - published in the journal PLOS ONE - indicate that, overall, mortality risks were lower in the post-Black Death population than before the epidemic.

‘Together, these results may indicate enhanced survival and decreased mortality after the Black Death, and by inference, improved health in some age groups in the post-epidemic population,’ said Dr DeWitte.

Although other factors could have influenced the differences, including the migration of people to London after the plague, Dr DeWitte suggests the study highlights the power infectious diseases have in shaping the population.

This includes the health and demography, over both the short and long-term.