In 1894, Alexander Yersin and another scientist separately identified Y. pestis during an epidemic in Hong Kong. Years later the bacterium was given his name. Yersin also connected his discovery to the pestilence that swept Europe during the Black Death, an association that has stuck. One problem, however, is that compared to the wildfire-like spread of the Black Death, the modern plague moves more leisurely.
References:
- Parry, Wynne. Live science. September 2011. http://www.livescience.com/15937-black-death-plague-debate.html (poskus dostopa 6. Avgust 2016).