The given records and witness accounts during both the Black Death and Civil War support Herlihy’s and Steiner’s argument of disease influencing society and battle outcomes. First, the Black Death caused numerous losses and people to flee which left many jobs unfilled, allowing the lower class a chance to higher pay and a larger diversity in the economy to form, influencing the demographic system along with this. Furthermore, the outbreak caused desperation in the people observable in recorded cases of rumors like the Jews poisoning wells and making people sick, putting many Jews on trial and burning almost a thousand innocent people. Not only this, but people began to turn to religion and answering calls to perform pilgrimage in hopes of
