Acral necrosis is a symptom common in
bubonic plaguePlague is a deadly infectious disease caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis . Plague is a zoonotic, primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas. Plague is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death and devastation it brought...
. The striking black discoloration of skin and tissue, primarily on the extremities ("acral"), is commonly thought to have given rise to the name "
Black DeathThe Black Death was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. It is widely thought to have been an outbreak of bubonic plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, but this view has recently been challenged...
," associated both with the disease and the
pandemicSee also: 2009 flu pandemic A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance a continent, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a...
which occurred in the 14th century. The term in fact came from the figural sense of "black", that is glum, lugubrious or dreadful.
Clotting and bleeding beneath the skin causes an area of hemorrhage, the presence of red blood cells lying outside of capillaries, into the skin and subcutaneous tissue.
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Acral necrosis is a symptom common in
bubonic plaguePlague is a deadly infectious disease caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis . Plague is a zoonotic, primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas. Plague is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death and devastation it brought...
. The striking black discoloration of skin and tissue, primarily on the extremities ("acral"), is commonly thought to have given rise to the name "
Black DeathThe Black Death was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. It is widely thought to have been an outbreak of bubonic plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, but this view has recently been challenged...
," associated both with the disease and the
pandemicSee also: 2009 flu pandemic A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance a continent, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a...
which occurred in the 14th century. The term in fact came from the figural sense of "black", that is glum, lugubrious or dreadful.
Clotting and bleeding beneath the skin causes an area of hemorrhage, the presence of red blood cells lying outside of capillaries, into the skin and subcutaneous tissue. In isolation, this is called an
ecchymosisAn ecchymosis is the medical term for a subcutaneous hematoma larger than 1cm, commonly called a bruise. The red blood cells are phagocytosed and degraded by macrophages, The blue-red color produced is from the enzymatic conversion of hemoglobin into billirubin, which is more blue-green...
or bruise and may be the result of injury or illness. However, acral necrosis occurs when blood supply is disrupted for prolonged periods, blackening and damaging the affected area and surrounding tissue. With appropriate medical treatment, areas with Acral necrosis may be successfully restored to function. Untreated cases can lead to death.
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