Question

source: agnolo di tura (agnolo the fat), cronaca senese, 1348. agnola di tura was an italian shoemaker and tax collector who survived the black death.
the mortality in siena (italy) began in may (1348). it was a cruel and horrible thing; and i do not know where to begin to tell of the cruelty and the pitiless ways. it seemed that almost everyone became stupefied by seeing the pain. and it is impossible for the human tongue to recount the awful truth. indeed, one who did not see such horribleness can be called blessed. and the victims died almost immediately. they would swell beneath their armpits and in their groins, and fall over while talking. father abandoned child, wife, husband, one brother after another; for this illness seemed to strike through breath and sight. and so they died. and none could be found to bury the dead for money or friendship. members of a household brought their dead to a ditch as best they could, without priest, without divine offices. nor did the death bell sound. and in many places in siena great pits were dug and piled deep with the multitude of dead. and they died by the hundreds, both day and night, and all were thrown in those ditches and covered with earth. and as soon as those ditches were filled, more were dug. and i, agnolo de tura, ... buried my five children with my own hands .... and so many died that all believed it was the end of the world.
source: a chronicle by the egyptian historian al - maqrizi, circa 1400.
note: al - maqrizi was born in 1364, some fifteen years after the black death passed through egypt and syria.
the malady (in damascus, syria) manifested itself in the following manner: a small swelling grew behind the ear which rapidly suppurated. there was a bubo under the arm and death followed very quickly. one noticed also the presence of a tumor which caused a serious mortality. they were occupied with this for a time; then they spat blood, and the population was terrified by the multitude of the dead. the maximum of survival after the spitting of blood was fifty hours.

Explanation:

The problem involves analyzing historical accounts of the Black Death from different regions (Siena, Egypt, Syria) and the experiences/observations of people during that time. History, as a subfield of Social Science, deals with the study of past events, including pandemics and their impacts on societies. The sources are historical chronicles, so History (under Social Science) is the most applicable subfield.

Answer:

Social Science - History