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Epidemics and pandemics in human history paper
Essay on history of pandemics
Epidemics and pandemics in human history paper
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The Black Death Plague
The Black Death plague, also known as the Bubonic plague, attacked Europe in 1347. The Bubonic plague was one of the many pestilences that would attack almost the entire Eastern Hemisphere. The last plague attacked a European city, Marseilles in 1722. On 1347, the name “Black Deathâ€�, or the “Bubonic Plagueâ€� was not used. During that time, they called the plague the Pestilence, or the Great Mortality. As we can see, the Black Death Plague has been in existence for about 650 years, and many are still unsure of the origin of this deadly plague.
There are several explanations on the origins of the Black Death Plague. The first is from medieval writers who believe that it began in China because they considered China to be a land of magical events. Others thought that it originated from earthquakes and fire. However we all know that these explanations are just myths. But many historians agree that the deadly disease originated from infected rodents that migrated from the Middle East to the area between the Black and Caspian seas. The plague was then spread onto merchants traveling the west trade routes (the approximate date given is about 1347). Then the disease passed from the merchants to Italian towns along the Black Sea. The “Black Deathâ€� plague moved quickly along other trade routes. However, through quarantine, parts of Europe were saved from the disease.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Black Death plague was not as bad as the first time it appeared. Doctors and investigators began to notice patterns on when the plague was the most active and when it was “dormantâ€�. They found out that the plague was strongest in the summer, absent in the winter. Investigators also noticed that the plague was most popular among the poorest, crowded cities. Therefore the governments set up a system of quarantining and treating people that were infected.
By the 16 century quarantines were a part of life. Towns began investigating anything suspicious. Travelers were expected to carry certificates of health proving that they have not been exposed to the deadly disease. Toward the end of the 16 century it was impossible to move out of quarantined areas.
Starting in the late17th century, the countries of Europe created a boundary between Europe and the lands where the Black Death plague came from. Anyone who tried to cross the boundary without permission, were shot.
The Black Death, also known as the Black Plague, or the Bubonic Plague killed one third of the population of Europe during its reign in the 13th and 14th centuries. The arrival of this plague set the scene for years of strife and heroism. Leaving the social and
In 1347, Europe began to perceive what the Plague had in store. Terrible outcomes arose when the citizens caught the Plague from fleas. The transfer of fleas to humans caused the outbreak of the Black Death. Infections that rodents caught were passed on to fleas, which would find a host to bite, spreading the terrible disease (“Plague the Black Death” n.pag.). When Genoese ships arrived back to Europe from China, with dead sailors and...
England has been hit with many diseases and hygiene issues through out the decades. When the country is hit with major health issues it is left with hardly any options other than to wait it out, this maybe due to the lack of health and medicine care back in those days. In this essay I am going to be exploring, comparing and contrasting the plagues of the 14th and 17th century. I am also going to go through the different ways of how England has prevented another plague from infecting its streets since then.
The Black Plague came to Europe at a time referred to as the late middle ages. At this time, the quality of living was looking better than in the past
The Black Death had profound effects on Medieval Europe. Although most people did not realize it at the time, the Black Death had not only marked the end of one age but it also denoted the beginning of a new one, namely the Renaissance.
The Black Death, or Bubonic Plague is a highly contagious disease that was spread by rats and other rodents that killed more than one third of the population in Europe. This disease is called the Black Plague because its symptoms produced black, skin around its swellings. This started in Europe in 1328 and lasted till 1351, although it still had prevalent outbreaks. Some of the symptoms are high fever, bleeding in the lungs, vomiting and painful swellings (buboes) of the lymph nodes. These would appear throughout would appear in various parts of the body. The colors of the buboes would start off red, and over time turn turn black. Victims in the Middle Ages and doctors had no idea what caused these disease. Doctors used various herbs to try to heal its victims, but sadly, there was no cure.
The plague was spread by fleas, which were not effected by the disease. Fleas first infected the rats, which lived off garbage and sewage. The rats then spread the infection to the humans. Rats were a common sight in the cities, due to the poor sanitary conditions, so no one suspected them (www.tartans.com). In the winter the plague seemed to disappear, but only because fleas were dormant then. Each spring, the plague attacked again, killing new victims (www.byu.edu). The effects of the plague were devastating. After just five years, twenty-five million people were dead - one third of Europe's population. Once people were infected they infected others very rapidly. As a result, in order to avoid the disease, many fled to the countryside where the lower population density helped to decrease the speed at which the disease spread (www.tartans.com). From a person's time of infection to his or her death was less than one week (www.home.nycap.rr.com). The plague became known as "The Black Death" because of the discoloration of the skin and black enlarged lymph nodes that appeared on the second day of contracting the disease. The term "The Black Death" was not invented until after 1800. Contemporaries called it "the pestilence" (Cantor 7).
The Black Death is still known today as one of the worst disasters to ever sweep across Europe. Its effects were felt in almost every inch of Europe. The plague affected every aspect of Europe from its economy to its population. Most noticeably it knocked out about one-third of Europe’s entire population. It was absolutely devastating, some would consider it to be the worst outbreak ever and the few that do not, have no idea what it did to Europe.
The Black Death was a dark period of human history, approximately 60% of European died. Black Death also known as the bubonic plague, it happened during 1346-1353. The plague spread during the crusades along the ships, and it was originated from a mice from Asia. It is a irremediable disease. The plague made so many negative influence on society, as well as positive effects on human population, such as social, medical and economical effects.
Sweeping through Western Europe during the fourteenth century, the Bubonic Plague wiped out nearly one third of the population and did not regard: status, age or even gender. All of this occurred as a result of a single fleabite. Bubonic Plague also known as Black Death started in Asia and traveled to Europe by ships. The Plague was thought to be spread by the dominating empire during this time, the Mongolian Empire, along the Silk Road. The Bubonic Plague was an infectious disease spread by fleas living on rats, which can be easily, be attached to traveler to be later spread to a city or region. Many factors like depopulation, decreasing trade, and huge shifts in migrations occurred during the Bubonic Plague. During Bubonic Plague there were also many different beliefs and concerns, which include fear, exploitation, religious and supernatural superstition, and a change of response from the fifteenth to eighteen century.
The Black Death originated in Asia and spread to Europe, possibly going through Persia to reach Asia Minor, and making its way across the Mediterranean. The Byzantine Empire, the Mongol Empire, and Turkestan were also infected. The Plague swept through parts of Arabia, Armenia, North Africa, Bavaria, England, France, Italy, and Poland. However, the Saharan Desert was spared (Document 1).
At this time however, cold weather and rains wiped out many crops creating a shortage of food for humans. Rats also went through this shortage in food. This made them “crowd in cities, providing an optimal environment for disease”(Karin Lehnardt in 41 Catastrophic Facts about the Black Death). Before the black death spread through Europe, sanitation wasn’t very good. Living conditions were bad so when the black death came to Europe, it spread more rapidly because people were not clean and healthy. Another reason the plague spread so fast was because the dead “bodies were piled up inside and outside city walls where they lay until mass graves could be dug”(Karin Lehnardt in 41 Catastrophic Facts about the Black Death). This made the air very polluted and contributed the spread of the epidemic. In total, the black death killed about thirty million people. This was about one-third the population of Europe. Some towns were completely wiped out. Because of this, medieval people thought everyone would eventually die, although we now know that some populations did survive. Also, because people were not being saved by the church, their beliefs were questioned. Less people dedicated their lives to the church because of this. Both the poor and the rich died but more than one-half the people dead were poor. This was also a result of poor sanitation and living conditions. The Black Death initiated in China in the early 1340’s
Imagine living in a time filled with nothing but fear. The thing you fear cannot be touched or seen but will put you to a slow miserable death. In the 1300s people were struck with a great plague, which has now been named “The Black Death”. The Black Death killed off populations with just one sweep. Historians call this the biggest tragedy of all time. The question is what caused this plague and how does something like this happen? Overtime historians have boiled it down to 2 and some may say 3 explanations, which are religion, science, and humans. With the help of a book The Black Death by Rosemary Horrox I was able to find explanations of them all. Who may know which is the correct reason for such a thing but what your think caused it is for you to decide.
The Black Death plague had disastrous consequences for Europe in the 14th century. After the initial outbreak in Europe, 1347, it continued for around five years and then mysteriously disappeared. However, it broke out again in the 1360s and every few decades thereafter till around 1700. The European epidemic was an outbreak of the bubonic plague, which began in Asia and spread across trade routes. When it reached Europe, a path of destruction began to emerge.
The Bubonic Plague, otherwise known as the Black Death, is a raging disease. Most people think of it as the physical Grim Reaper of their town or community. The disease lasted about six years, 1347 to 1352. The Bubonic Plague was a travesty that has traveled throughout Europe and has raged and decimated both large and small towns, putting Europe through a lot. The disease spreads through a bacteria called Yersinia Pestis.