...The Bubonic Plague: A turning point in history The Bubonic Plague, which also goes by other names such as: the Black Death, the Black Plague, the Great Pestilence, is a disease that devastated the medieval world with a 9 out of 10 mortality rate (Vyas). It is so resilient that cases of infection are still being recorded in America today –although in a much milder manner. The plague then killed of almost one-third of Europe’s population, leaving lasting effects wherever it had touched (Bussema and Witowski). This fatal epidemic disease has since changed how we take on such diseases, and modified our tactics on handling epidemics and other contagious diseases. The Black Plague is an infection caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis (originally known as Pasteurella pestis) (Kohn). The name of the bacterium comes from the scientist that discovered it; French bacteriologist, Alexandre Yersin (Tyson). The pestilence has a typical incubation period of two to seven days before the symptoms begin to show. The plague has many symptoms, some of which include: chills, fever, nausea, and painful swelling of the lymph nodes (called buboes –from which the disease is named) that occur in the armpits and neck and groin. Other symptoms of the illness are: red spots on the skin that turned black, the rotting of flesh whilst still living, severe headache, weakness, and vomiting. Yet, most cases were fatal by the third day (Vyas). This disease was transferred from infected animals -most often...
Words: 2280 - Pages: 10
...How the Black Death Affected the Modern World The Black Death is the worst plague that mankind has ever had to face, much worse than anything we face today. The mortality rate was astounding; whoever was unfortunate enough to become infected with the Black Death would die in a matter of days while suffering through a great deal of pain and agony (Snell). Its peak was around 1348-1353 in Europe, ranging from England all the way to Eastern Europe and beyond (The Black Death, 1348, 2001). The Black Death is thought to have started in China or central Asia, before spreading west. The plague then travelled along the Silk Road and reached the Crimea by 1347. From there, it was probably carried by Oriental rat fleas living on the black rats that were regular passengers on merchant ships. Spreading throughout the Mediterranean and Europe, the Black Death is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europe's population. All in all, the plague reduced the world population from an estimated 450 million to between 350 and 375 million in the 14th century (Ibeji, 2011). The plague disease, generally thought to be caused by Yersinia pestis, is commonly present in populations of fleas carried by ground rodents, including marmots, in various areas including Central Asia, Kurdistan, Western Asia, Northern India and Uganda (Edmonds). Plague was reportedly first introduced to Europe at the trading city of Caffa in the Crimea in 1347 (Whipps, 2008). After a protracted siege, during which the Mongol...
Words: 1928 - Pages: 8
...The Black Death As it happened: The Black Death 1. List the symptoms of the black death. Flu-like fever Pus-filled buboes or tumours appear in the neck, groin and armpits – these turn blue/purple over time Haemorrhaging (internal bleeding) which causes blue-purple blotches to appear under the skin (like bruising) Coughed up blood and vomited a lot 50% of those who caught the disease died in 2-7 days 2. Name three ways that medieval Europeans believed the plague was spread. By inhaling bad smells By looking into the eyes of a person who was infected Spread across the sea by an evil, magical wind from India By thinking too hard about it Through contact with infected people or travellers 3. Name three things that medieval Europeans did to try and avoid or treat the plague. Avoid sleeping on just one side, so that fluid would not build up in the lungs Mix sweet-smelling flowers with human faeces to make a medical paste, then put this on the buboes Avoid contact with infected individuals by quarantining them in their homes Kept sweet-smelling herbs or flowers to protect themselves from bad smells (which were thought to spread disease) 4. Why did the Black Death first appear in large cities? Because cities attracted merchants from all over Europe, and there were lots of people living close together 5. Who spread the Black Death through Europe? Anyone who travelled around Europe: o Merchants and sailors o Soldiers o Pilgrims Year 8 History ...
Words: 527 - Pages: 3
...The Black Plague “The Renaissance Death of England” Jayne Ritzinger GS102 – Introduction of Life Science September 2, 2009 The Black Plague in a Medieval Perspective “The Renaissance Death of England” The Sixteenth Century and Bubonic Plague The year is 1350 and death has travelled Western Asia and Europe for a decade. The death rate has exceeded 10 million due to the Black Plague, which is the curse of Europe (Bollinger, 1983). Travelling by boat and carriage, the Black Death has infected the known world from Constantinople to London. “The first attack, known since the late sixteenth century as the Black Death but to contemporaries as “the great mortality”, occurred in southern England in 1348; by the end of 1349 it had spread to Central Scotland” (Morgan, 1984). Rats and the lice that traveled on them were the common cause, but the Sixteenth Century had no such mechanism to identify the causation of the plague “Plague is characterized by periodic disease outbreaks in rodent populations, some of which have a high death rate. During these outbreaks, hungry infected fleas that have lost their normal hosts seek other sources of blood, thus escalating the increased risk to humans and other animals frequenting the area” (Plague, 2009). As defined by the Center for Disease Control, the Black Plague is defined as follows: Plague is an infectious disease of animals and humans caused by a bacterium named Yersinia Pestis. Epidemics of plague in humans usually involve house rats...
Words: 1817 - Pages: 8
...In this project, I learned about the years between 500 and 1000 in Europe. One thing I found interesting was how admittedly grim the times were, even as people romanticized the Dark Ages. I learned about the “Dark Ages” by examining a set of Medieval Economic Laws created by The Bruce Publishing Company in the year 1936. The point of view of this source is that the Dark Ages in Europe were pretty dark because they were chopping people’s hands for not returning money that they owe. This point of view is conveyed through the quote, “Concerning false money, we have ordered that he who has been proved to have struck it shall have his hand cut off.” This quote shows that laws during the Dark Ages were way more physically brutal than any law that...
Words: 480 - Pages: 2
...Nadiya Clarke Ms. Ritter Rutter English 1 2nd Quarter December 4, 2015 Black Plague’s Impact on Art and Culture The Renaissance was a time of rebirth for all of Europe, but it was also a time of great death and sickness. The black plague affected many aspects of medieval life. Things like art, literature, religion and theater were greatly changed by the occurrence of this epidemic. Through all of the illness and struggle, the people of Europe found a way to carry on with their lives. The black plague had a major impact on the study of medicine. During the time of the plague, the doctors wore plague doctor’s clothing. Their clothing consisted of a black hat, a gas mask shaped like a bird’s beak, a long overcoat, leather pants, and a wooden cane. These clothes protected the doctor, but they helped spread the disease more than they helped treat it. Although the plague may have showcased the problems with medical science in that era, it led to many much needed changes to the field of medicine. The doctors began to pay more attention to “anatomical investigations.” Studying the human body became...
Words: 481 - Pages: 2
...The Wake of The Plague In the Wake of the Plague, Cantor reasons his thesis that the Black Plague had tremendously altered the history of Europe and the lives of its people. Furthermore, he reasons that the plague has not just had an effect on a particular estate or a specific aspect in a society, but affected everyone alike in many different aspects. He specifically states in his writing how the plague had affected the nobilities, the priests, and the peasants. Subsequently, he argues that the plague had an impact on the population change, economics, literature, and science of medieval Europe. Cantor makes a coherent and clear argument that justifies his thesis through organizing the novel in three parts: biomedical context, people, and history. The first part serves as an introductory reading that defines the Black Plague in biological terms and gives background information of how the plague swept the entire continent of Europe. The second part serves as the body of his argument, where he refers to how the plague had affected all three estates of people: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. The body of the argument is not necessarily organized in a chronological order, but organized in different estates of people. In the third chapter, Cantor uses the example of Princess Joan and the incident of Bordeaux fire to explain how a noble family was affected by the plague. When Edward III asked Pedro to rescue Princess Joan from Bordeaux where the plague was spread, the angry...
Words: 1059 - Pages: 5
...In the years 1346-53 an epidemic of the terrible bubonic plague, spread across Europe. This plague is more commonly recognized as the Black Death, a name that came several centuries after. In order to stop the spread of this devastating disease, it was necessary that the physicians and scientists of that day begin to research and understand certain things: where this disease came from and how it spread so fast among the population; the symptoms and stages that made this disease unique; and how it was impacting society. Research shows that one way this disease most likely evolved, was from the Central Asiatic Plateau, the stretch of dessert that touches Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Most researchers believe it came from rats,...
Words: 1207 - Pages: 5
...Impact of Black Death HIS 103 World Civilizations Donnie Burnette April 4th 2011 The Impact of Black Death Black Death was known by several names such as Black Death, the Bubonic Plague and the Black plague. Regardless of what you call it, it was one of the world’s worst pandemic in history. This plague tore through Europe destroying villages and communities. The immediate impact was fear, chaos, and complete devastation, the long term effect proved to improve economics and societies. Black Death spread through Europe beginning in 1346 and ending in 1353. Seven years of “unexplained” deaths, the plague chose no race, color, age or gender it attacked and killed 50 million people or 60% of the population (Benedictou 2005). Symptoms of the plague began with swollen glands in the neck, armpits, and groin areas. Internal bleeding gave the skin a blackened coloring earning the name “Black Death”. Other symptoms range from red blotching of the skin “rosies” Once bitten these would appear within a couple days and the victim would die within a week. Even a more powerful strain of this plague was the pneumonic plague; this version went directly to the lungs and respiratory systems. Now not only was this spread...
Words: 982 - Pages: 4
...The disastrous disease known as the Black Death spread across Europe in 1346-1353. The name didn't come up until after its visitation. Letters from doctors said it was a time of terror wrought by the illness. The tragedy was something no one had ever seen before. In the course of a few months, more than 60% of Florence’s population died from the disease. The Black Death was an epidemic of a terrible plague, a disease caused by a bacteria. The bacteria was Yersinia Pestis that goes around in wild rodents where they live in great numbers of groups. An area like that is called a ‘plague focus’ or a ‘plague reservoir’. Humans received the Black Death when they came in contact with rats, preferably black rats that were infected. It would take ten to fourteen days...
Words: 1823 - Pages: 8
...The Black Death was a time period in Medieval Europe that happened during most of the 14th century. This period is called the Black Death because it was one of Europe’s darkest times in history with the emergence of the Bubonic Plague, also called Black Plague, which caused horrible symptoms that killed its victims in a short amount of time (CDC). Many people at the time did not understand how exactly the disease came about and placed the blame on people. Even though this disease was horrible and brought many consequences, it began to shape Europe as we know it and brought many technological and medical advancements (History). - The Bubonic Plague was named after buboes, which means swollen lymph node, a distinguishing feature noticed in individuals...
Words: 900 - Pages: 4
...The Black Plague was a major event in medieval times. In 542 a.d the plague affects the urban areas of the mediterranean basin. It was caused by rats carrying fleas. The black plague wiped out ⅓ of the population in medieval Europe. The black plague was a serious killer with no cure people relied on praying. The first muslim siege of Constantinople was a major event in medieval times.The man who led this was Caliph Mu'awiya. Caliph emerged as ruler as a civil war happened in 661.The war lasted 4 years and eventually the muslims signed a peace treaty and another Muslim civil war. Battle of Hastings was a battle between the french and english. A man named Duke William of Normandy fought against King Harold Godwinson of England. This war was caused the need to expand empire. Eventually Duke William of Normandy won....
Words: 277 - Pages: 2
...The Black Plague The Black Plague was a pandemic, which reached England in June 1348-December 1349. It was later called “The Black Death” due to it killing around 50 million people. The Black Death has affected not only Europe, but other parts of the world killing many. Almost everyone feared the plague because it could possibly affect many of their lives, losing loved ones. New symbols and art were brought to the surface due to The Black Plague, such as plague doctors and even the famous song “Ring Around the Rosie”. Although there is a cure now it is still around today coming in many forms and types affecting people's daily lives. There are 3 major plagues the Justinian Plague, which was named after the 6th century Justinian emperor,...
Words: 1329 - Pages: 6
...The Black Death started in Europe on October 1347 when 12 Genoese trading ships arrived in Massina. Even though the “death ships” were soon ordered out of the harbor, it was too late. The plague would decimate Europe until 1351. The Black death killed between 75-200 million people in Eurasia, with over 20 million of those deaths occurring in Europe. Scholars believe that the nursery rhyme “Ring around the Rosy” was written about the symptoms of the Black Death. Most experts agree that the plague was caused by Yersinia. Pestis ( or Y. Pestis), a bacillus carried by fleas. Many people believed the plague was caused by god, by jews, by pockets of bad air released by earthquakes, or by an unfavorable alignment of the planets in 1343. Symptoms of the black death includes swelling in the groin, armpits, and neck, dark patches, and coughing up blood. A plague doctor costume consisted of a long overcoat with a bird like beak mask that was often filled with sweet or strong smelling substances. The pders in the mask were thought to fight the “evil” smells of the plague. The attempts to find curves for the plague started the momentum toward development of the scientific method and the changes in thinking....
Words: 437 - Pages: 2
...The Bubonic plague also known as “The Black Plague” was one of the worst tragedies to happen to Medieval Europe.The plague started in 1346 and lasted til 1353. The plague killed an upward of 50 million people in Europe which was the equivalent to 60% of the whole population of Europe. The Black Death first started in Europe by sea in October 1347 when 12 Genoese trading ships docked at the Sicilian port of Messina after a voyage through the Black Sea”. The people who gathered to meet the sailors and the ships once they were docked realized that they were faced with a horrifying surprise. Most of the sailors and crewmen aboard the ships were dead, and those who surprisingly still alive but were gravely ill. They were faced with this issue...
Words: 567 - Pages: 3
