Black women were more likely to die from the Black Death due to their social position.

In an archaeological study, the Museum of London has examined how bone and dental changes of individuals who died from one of mankind's worst pandemics were impacted by race, gender and social standing. The devastation of the Black Death or bubonic plague is believed to have claimed half of the London population in the 14th century.

The research, titled Race, Population Affinity, and Mortality Risk, is reportedly the “first archaeological exploration of race, gender, and social standing influencing a person’s risk of death”. It was based on 145 individuals from East Smithfield emergency plague cemetery, St Mary Graces, and St Mary Spital. Although the sample size is small, it was found that 18.4% of people in the plague burials appeared to be of African heritage, compared to 8.3% of the nonplague burials. Utilizing a forensic tool, nine plague victims appeared to be of African heritage, while 40 seemed to have white European or Asian ancestry.

Dr Rebecca Redfern, a co-author of the research at the Museum of London, said: “Medieval England was a diverse population and, like today, issues around people’s heritage [and] wealth have health outcomes.” Black women of African descent faced a greater risk of the medieval plague. The research showed that “individuals of estimated African population affinity have a significantly higher estimated hazard of dying of plague compared to those with estimated white European affinity.” This was attributed to systemic racism that existed in the medieval world.

The Black Death, also known as the Great Pestilence, killed more than 25 million people, or at least one-third of Europe’s population, during the 14th century. It was spread through infected fleas carried by rodents, consuming contaminated animals, physical contact with infected victims, or direct inhalation of infectious respiratory droplets. Symptoms included fever, fatigue, vomiting, and large swellings.

London was bustling with immigrants from all over the world during this time. Wealthier migrants often had servants who were free or enslaved people originating from Sub-Saharan and northern Africa or Eastern Europe. The study invoked direct comparisons to the coronavirus, where early in the modern pandemic, Black people had a higher risk of infection and were four times more likely to die than white people.

Zubaida Haque, the deputy director of the Runnymede Trust, a race equality think tank, previously cautioned about the consequences of racial discrimination and racial inequalities. She said: “We cannot ignore how important racial discrimination and racial inequalities, for example, in housing, are, even among poorer socio-economic groups. These factors are important but are not taken into account in most statistical modeling of Covid-19 risk factors.”

The Museum of London’s research serves to highlight how even in medieval times, racism had an impact on health outcomes. Even today, race-related issues have a major role to play in the risk of infection and death from a pandemic.

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