Pocketful of posies refers to flowers or herbs carried in the pockets of victims because they believed this disease was transmitted by bad smells. Ashes, ashes is in reference to the cremation of bodies after death as opposed to burial. We all fall down signifies the sudden death bubonic plague causes. William Langland also wrote about the impact of this disease in an epic translated by Siegried Wenzel:
So nature killed many through corruptions,
Death came driving after her and dashed all to dust,
Kings, and knights, emperors and popes;
He left no man standing, whether learned or ignorant;
Whatever he hit stirred never afterwards,
Many a lovely lady and their lover-knights
Swooned and died in sorrow of Death’s blows…
For God is deaf nowadays and will not hear us,
And for our guilt he grinds good men to dust. (Cantor 6)
Measures were taken to quarantine areas that were highly contagious. This proved to be effective in some areas; however, the ultimate solution was to quarantine rodents instead of humans. Proper burial for victims also posed a problem since priests were hard hit by this disease. Grave diggers could not keep up with the magnitude of deaths. This led to mass burials without Christian rites.
Bubonic plague is a very contagious if care and caution is not exercised. Humans usually contract the disease if they are bitten by a flea or rodent that is infected. It can also be contracted from mice, dogs, rabbits, squirrels, and etc. Contamination can also occur by eating infected animals or by contact with objects handled by infected people. It is not very common for bubonic plague to spread from one human to another; however, pneumonic plague can be spread to others by coughing and sneezing...
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Although the bubonic plague is not common in the United States today, there are still outbreaks in Asia. There are fewer than 20 cases found in the United States annually. Most of these cases are found in the western part of the country around New Mexico and Arizona. The risk of bubonic plague has been significantly reduced due to efforts made to control the rodent population, the use of insecticides, and vaccines. Vaccines are only recommended for those who are at a high risk to exposure and are not required when travelling abroad. Doctors and scientist risked their own lives to come up with antibiotics to cure this disease. Today there is far less fear and death associated with this disease due to medical advances and technology. Bubonic plague is no longer a death threat if caught and treated in a timely manner.
Despite all, their love was not strong enough to fight against the plague. They had prayed every night for help for Alice, but shortly they all fell ill. Together they experienced nausea and violently vomited. They began to swell; hard, painful, burning lumps on their neck, arms and thighs then appeared. Their bumps had turned black, split open and began to ooze yellow, thick puss and blood. They were decaying on the inside; anything that would come out of their bodies would contain blood and soon puddles of blood formed under their skin. They slowing withered away together. The home became repulsing; the flowers in their yard could no longer mask the smells of their rotting bodies and revolting bodily fluids. Alice was the first to leave, then John, Mama, and Papa followed. Together they all fell victim to the Black Plague.
Many wondered what the true cause of the Black Plague was and how it spread all across the world in such a short amount of time. Throughout its time period, many medical authorities and scientists sought to give rational explanations for the reasons why the plague was spreading and believed it was caused by several factors such as: “corrupted air and water, hot and humid southerly winds, proximity of swamps, lack of purifying sunshine, excrement and other filth, putrid decomposition of dead bodies, excessive indulgence in foods (particularly fruits), God's wrath, punishment for sins, and the conjunction of stars and planets” (Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence). The confusion and lack of scientific knowledge on the harmful disease caused much panic and triggered many outbreaks among individuals. Many people began to start placing cities and ships under quarantine, burning sulfur to purify bad air, burning clothes, and even blaming and killing Jews in hope that they could solve a cure or at least stop the spread.
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
A law was made, saying that once someone was ill with the plague they were to stay in their house. Anyone who happened to live in the same house as the unfortunate soul was also locked in, with fear that they could spread the disease. Beggars were not allowed to wonder the streets at anytime, and were executed immediately for doing so without a given reason. All of these, although sensible ideas (apart from the execution..) would not contribute towards public health, as the disease was not contagious in the human community. It was in fact passed on from fleas living on black rats, but this knowledge had not yet been developed.
Red crosses were often painted on doors to let anybody who may pass by to be wary of the plague for those with the crosses had been stricken by the plague. Each night, people would collect the bodies that had fallen to Black Death and disposed of the bodies in mass graves. They would often burn and do as much as they possibly could to prevent further outbreak of the disease.
Today the world is plagued with a similar deadly disease. The AIDS epidemic continues to be incurable. In an essay written by David Herlihy, entitled 'Bubonic Plague: Historical Epidemiology and the Medical Problems,' the historic bubonic plague is compared with
In the 1300’s, England was struck with a plague called the Bubonic Plague, better known as the “Black Death.” Historians believe this disease arrived by ship at a seaport in modern day Ukraine (Byrne 1). Fleas living on the back of rats were the main cause of spreading. Because of the poor living conditions, rats were very common in towns, making it simple for fleas to bite the human, giving them the disease. Symptoms were easily spotted; the victim would have lumps on his or her groin and armpits, which would then turn to black spots on the arms and thighs (Trueman 1). Most who suffered form this epidemic did not live past three days (Trueman 1). Because the vermin spread this disease so rapidly, it would eventually affect most of Europe. The source of the Black Death was unknown at the time; therefore physicians could not stop the spread or treat the infected (Byrne 1). Many people thought that it was God’s punishment, so to appease Him, they publicly whipped themselves (Byrne 1). Before declining, the Black Death killed around forty percent of the European populations, which is about 25 million victims, making it one of the most widely known epidemics. Once the Bubonic Plague died out, it only had two...
...to prevent the disease. Some people fled to the country side and quarantined themselves. In the churches they took measures that would have not ever been seen if the plague had not taken place. In one instance, one of the priest was giving out mass on the end of a pole. Pope Clement sat in-between to big fires in order to breath pure air.
Even though the bubonic plague can not be transmitted among humans, it was the most common of the three plagues. The bubonic plague occurs when fleas feed on the blood of infected rodents, which are usually rats (Poland 1). The bacterium that causes the infection is known as Yersenia Pestis. The fleas then pass the bacteria when they bite a human or when materials infected with Yersenia pestis directly enters the body through a wound. The names of this plague come from the swellings, also known as buboes, that appeared on a victim’s neck, armpits, or groin (Gottfried,1).The lymph nodes suddenly become painful and swollen with pus especially in the groin. Later, the skin splits and oozes pus and blood. Blood also comes out of the victim’s urine which, like the rest of the symptoms, smells horribly. These swellings (also known as tumors) could be as small as an egg or as big as an apple. Even though some people survived this disease, others would have a life expectancy of a week.
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.
The Bubonic Plague or the Black Death is till known today as one of the worst disasters to ever happen not just in Europe, but in the entire world. At the time before the plague, Europe’s population was about four hundred million people. After the four years of the Black Death, Europe was down to about three hundred and fifty million people. This plague was absolutely devastating to all of Europe. It was especially bad in Mediterranean Europe, Spain, Italy, and the South of France. It was said to have killed about 75% to 80% of the population. It had its least dramatic effects in Germany and England only killing off 20% of their population, which is still an incredible number.
The Black Death is now known to be spread by a flea. However, this flea was not the cause as it was the bacterium which lay in the stomach of the flea. This bacterium’s scientific name is Yersinia pestis. The main host of the flea is a rat, scientifically called Rattus rattus. Humans caught the disease because when the rats bred rapidly, it would lead to a population invasion. When the rat died, the flea would have to find another warm-blooded host to feed on, and next to them are humans. The flea bites the human and infects them. The unhygienic living conditions in the Middle Ages led to a faster spread of the disease, as a result creating a better environment for rats to live in. The lack of knowledge in the fourteenth century led to even worse remedies.
The Bubonic Plague DBQ 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
Imagine loosing seventy five percent of your country to a disease, do you even think that is possible? Europe can tell you it is, after loosing at least one third of their population to the Black Death. The Bubonic Plague , also known as Black Death is the most deadly plaque that has ever occurred to date. The Black Death originally came from Central Asia, but spread to Europe and the Mediterranean. Most of the plague was at Gobi - Desert in Mongolia around the 1320’s (ARMICHAEL, ANN).
The virus attacks the lymph nodes and lungs. The buboes formed from the virus are usually formed in the groin or armpit depending on the closest lymph node. The plague is highly contagious, spread by speaking, coughing, and sneezing. There are two types of plague, the septimic and the pneumonic.