The black death was thought to have been originally introduced to most of Europe through some trading ships that arrived on the coast of Rome. The boat was immediately quarantined, but it was too late. The deadly virus spread rapidly across the continent, taking with it the lives of thousands. The black death’s symptoms included normal cold symptoms, boils on the skin, and many more smaller symptoms. It was highly contagious, passing if somebody was within 10 or so feet of each other. The doctors of the time had no good way to treat it as they did not know much about the germ theory and how the Black Death was spread. Rats and other small animals also carried the plague. The Black Death killed over one-fourth of the European population, drastically reducing the workforce, and therefore the economic value.