Norman F. Cantor, In The Wake Of The Plague, The Black Death And The World It Made.

951 Words2 Pages

Norman F. Cantor is a qualified historian who studies the Middle Ages. He has written many books regarding the Middle Ages. In his extremely detailed book, In the Wake of the Plaque, he writes about what he calls “the greatest biomedical disaster in European and possibly world history.” (Cantor, Wake p. 6) His book is divided into three parts. The first part tells about the biomedical effects and symptoms of the plague, the second part analyzes the effects it had on all the people, cultures, societies, and institutions in Europe, and in the last part of the book it covers the aftermath and the history of the plague. The Black Death also had a huge impact on art and literature. According to Cantor the rhyme Ring Around the Rosie was based on the bubonic plague and the flu like symptoms. To repress the memory of the plague the children would dance around and sing this rhyme. (Cantor, Wake p.5)
He describes how the loss of lives affected the people who survived. He also goes into detail about the Jewish conspiracy and how the Jews were to blame for all this. He illustrated about how the Black Death affected many families, cultures, societies, and institutions during the thirteenth century. (Cantor, Wake p. 10) He made remarkable parallels throughout the book between BSE and HIV/AIDS.
The author begins the book by talking about the biomedical crisis, later known as The Black Death, or bubonic plague, that attacked Europe during the fourteenth century. Cantor later tells about how the people came in contact with the plague and the symptoms that later occurred. The people who had been affected by the plague would first experience flu like symptoms, which usually included a high fever, in the second stage they would get buboes, which...

... middle of paper ...

...that people had concerning the plague.

Works Cited

"Minnesota Department of Health." Plague Fact Sheet. Minnesota.gov, 16 Nov. 2010. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.

Halsall, Paul. "Internet History Sourcebooks Project." Internet
History Sourcebooks Project. Fordham University, July
1998. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.

Twiggs, Graham. "Forthcoming Publication : Bubonic Plague: A Much Misunderstood Disease by Graham Twigg." The Black Death Revisited. N.p., 29 Dec. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.

Damen. "1320: Section 6: The Black Death." 1320: Section 6: The Black Death. N.p., 2013. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.

"The Black Death and Its Aftermath." The Black Death and Its Aftermath. Cranleigh Decorative and Fine Arts Society, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.

Cohn, Samuel K. "Epidemiology of the Black Death and Successive Waves of Plague." Http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. NCBI, 2008. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • The Black Plague and Its Impact on Medicine in Medieval Society

    768 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Black Death (also called the "plague" or the "pestilence", the bacteria that causes it is Yersinia Pestis) was a devastating pandemic causing the death of over one-third of Europe's population in its major wave of 1348-1349. Yersinia Pestis had two major strains: the first, the Bubonic form, was carried by fleas on rodents and caused swelling of the lymph nodes, or "buboes", and lesions under the skin, with a fifty-percent mortality rate; the second, the pneumonic form, was airborne after the bacteria had mutated and caused fluids to build up in the lungs and other areas, causing suffocation and a seventy-percent mortality rate.

    Read More

  • Ring around the Rosie: Turning Points in History

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    The years 1348 through 1350 had been an extremely gruesome and miserable time in our world’s history. During this time period, one of the most devastating pandemics in history had struck half the world with an intensifying and deadly blow. It had been responsible for over 75 million deaths and 20 million of these deaths were from Europe alone. Out of the countries that were hit hardest in Europe from mortality rates and economic downturns, England was one of them. This grave disease that marked the end of the middle ages and the start of the modern age is known as the Black Plague.

    Read More

  • The Black Death and The Song Ring Around the Rosie

    1296 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some things are not as they seem. “Ring Around the Rosie” seems like a pleasant children’s nursery rhyme, but many believe it is actually a grisly song about the Black Death in Europe. The Black Death was a serial outbreak of the plague during the 1300s. During the Black Death, more than 20 million Europeans died. One-third of the population of the British Isles died from the plague. Moreover, one-third of the population of France died in the first year alone, and 50% of the people in France’s major cities died. Catastrophic death rates like these were common across all of Europe. However, just like the poem “Ring Around the Rosie”, the true effects of the Black Death differed from what many people believed. Though tragic, the Black Death caused several positive societal changes. Specifically, the Black Death helped society by contributing to the economic empowerment of peasants and disempowerment of nobility that led to the decline of manorialism, as well as by encouraging the development of new medical and scientific techniques by proving old methods and beliefs false.

    Read More

  • Bubonic Plague DBQ

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to The Decameron, “neither the advice of physicians nor the power of medicine appeared to have any value or profit” when it came to treating the disease (Document 2). The source of the Plague was vaguely understood, but there were many misconceptions among the general populous. Many people took the plague to be a religious sign. A painting by Giovanni Sercambi around the year 1400 depicts the Angel of Death shooting arrows down at the people below, showing how the Plague struck some people but missed others (Document 3). Additionally, the nursery rhyme “Ring A-Round the Rosy” refers to the rosary beads which Catholics believed would provide God’s help (Document

    Read More

  • The Bubonic Plague: The Causes Of The Black Death

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    The symptoms would include the usual signs of sickness- fever, vomiting muscular pain and swelling in the lymph nodes. Nobody, physician or doctor knew how the Black Death was occurring or how to stop it. They did all they could to help with the symptoms. In fact, the song Ring around the Rosy was inspired due to the plague. At first, the plague was thought to be sent by the almighty God to punish men for their sins. Simone Buonacorsi, the notary, wrote a ordinances that in no way shall man have contact with those whom are

    Read More

  • The Effects of The Black Death on the Economic and Social Life of Europe

    1343 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Black Death is the name later given to the epidemic of plague that ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1351. The disaster affected all aspects of life. Depopulation and shortage of labor hastened changes already inherent in the rural economy; the substitution of wages for labor services was accelerated, and social stratification became less rigid. Psychological morbidity affected the arts; in religion, the lack of educated personnel among the clergy gravely reduced the intellectual vigor of the church.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Black Death

    1821 Words  | 4 Pages

    No other epidemic reaches the level of the Black Death which took place from 1348 to 1350. The epidemic, better regarded as a pandemic, shook Europe, Asia, and North Africa; therefore it deems as the one of the most devastating events in world history. In The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350, John Aberth, compiles primary sources in order to examine the origins and outcomes of this deadly disease. The author, a history professor and associate academic dean at Vermont’s Castleton State College, specializes in medieval history and the Black Death. He wrote the book in order to provide multiple perspectives of the plague’s impact. Primarily, pathogens started the whole phenomenon; however, geological, economic, and social conditions

    Read More

  • Economic Impact Of The Black Plague

    943 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Bubonic Plague, or more commonly known as ‘The Black Death’ or ‘The Black Plague,’ was one of the most devastating and deadliest pandemics that humans have ever witnessed in the history of mankind. The disease spanned two continents in just a few years, marking every country between Western Europe all the way to China. During the reign of the plague, which is estimated to be the years between 1347-1352, it is estimated that “20 million people in Europe–almost one-third of the continent’s population” was killed off due to the plague. The Black Plague would change the course of European history since the plague knew no boundaries and inflicted its wrath upon the rich and the poor alike. As a result, not only did the plague have a devastating demographic impact which encountered a massive social disruption, but also, an economic and religious impact as well.

    Read More

  • Middle Ages: Dark or Not?

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Middle Ages are known for its abundant amount of deaths from plagues and wars. Let’s first look at what happened particularly in Europe during these Middle Ages. In 1347 the Bubonic Plague, otherwise known as the Black Death, arrived in Italy. The disease caused bulbous growths and sores filled with pus to appear on the body. It made victims of the illness look like “a skeleton, with black and blue splotches” (Friedlander) stained onto the face. Friedlander also stated that within two years, the plague had slaughtered “over 20 percent of the population of Europe.” This disease spread like a forest fire across the country and killed a total of 75 million people, almost 50% of Europe’s overall population. In addition to this, the smallpox epidemic swept through Paris, France and killed 50,000 individuals in 1438, most of whom were children. According to Friedlander this disease was a “virus that spreads from person to person, by touch or through breathing or coughing.” The danger level of the sickness fluctuated between people and their immune systems, some being as deadly as or even deadlier than the bubonic plague, and showed no mercy on smal...

    Read More

  • The Plague - The Black Death

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cantor, Norman F. In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World It Made. New York:

    Read More

  • How Did The Black Death Affect Medieval European Society

    858 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Black Death: Bubonic Plague’s Worst Disaster

    1759 Words  | 4 Pages

    It has been called “the greatest catastrophe ever.” That statement was made in reference to the Black Death which was one of many bubonic plague epidemics. Throughout history, the bubonic plague proved itself to be an extremely lethal disease. Outbreaks of the bubonic plague were devastating because of the stunning number of deaths in each of the populations it reached. The Black Death was the worst epidemic and disaster of the bubonic plague in all of history. The Black Death refers to a period of several years in which affected populations were decimated. The bubonic plague is a disease started by bacteria. The disease has horrible symptoms, and most of the victims die after getting the plague. The bubonic plague spread easily between different areas of people. The Black Death was not the first epidemic of the bubonic plague; there was another outbreak several hundred years before. It is important to understand the history of the bubonic plague and reflect upon the Black Death because plague outbreaks can still occur today.

    Read More

  • Positive and Negative Results of The Black Plague

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Black Plague, perhaps one of the worst epidemics in history, swept its evil across Europe in the middle of the 14th century, killing an estimated 20 million people. This major population shift, along with other disasters occurring at the time, such as famine and an already existing economic recession, plunged Europe into a dark period of complete turmoil. Anarchy, psychological breakdowns, and the dissipation of church power were some of the results. As time passed, however, society managed to find new ground and began its long path of recovery. The plague, as catastrophic as it was to medieval Europe, had just as many positive effects that came with this recovery as it did negative effects prior. An end to feudalism, increased wages and innovation, the idea of separation of church and state, and an attention to hygiene and medicine are only some of the positive things that came after the plague. It could also be argued that the plague had a significant impact on the start of the Renaissance.

    Read More

  • The Impact Of Black Death On Society

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Black Death plagues 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. Medieval society was tossed into disarray, economies were fractured, the face of culture and religion changed forever. However the plagues devastation was not all chaotic, there were benefits too, such as modern labour movements, improvements in medicine and a new outlook on life. Therefore in order to analyse the impact the Black Death had on societies in the 14th century, this essay will consider the social, economic, cultural and religious factors in order to reach an overall conclusion.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On The Black Death

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    It was a bubonic plague that came from Asia and spread by black rats infested with fleas. The plague spread like a wildfire because people who lived in high populated areas were living very close to each other and had no idea what was the cause of the disease or how to cure it. The signs of the “inevitable death” where blood from the nose, fever, aching and swellings big as an “apple” in the groin or under the armpits. From there the disease spread through the body in different directions and soon after it changed into black spots that appeared on the arms and thighs. Due to the lack of medical knowledge, no doctors manage to find a remedy. Furthermore a large number of people without any kind of medical experience tried to help the sick but most of them failed “...there was now a multitude both of men and of women who practiced without having received the slightest tincture of medical science - and, being in ignorance of its source, failed to apply the proper remedies…” (Boccaccio). The plague was so deadly that it was enough for a person to get infected by only touching the close of the

    Read More

More about Norman F. Cantor, In The Wake Of The Plague, The Black Death And The World It Made.

Open Document