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The immediate and long term effects of the black death
The immediate and long term effects of the black death
The black death death effects on society
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The black plague was an extremely deadly disease that originally struck Europe in the fifteenth century. However, outbreaks continued to occur until the eighteenth century. The plague was spread through rats that were infected by disease carrying fleas. Once infected, a person would typically die within days. It is estimated that over 25 million people, or about 1/3 of western Europe’s population died. People had very mixed opinions of the plague and the effects it had on the continent. Physicians are very reliable source of information about the plague, as they were up close and personal with it. They witnessed infected people hang toads, dead or alive, around their necks in hopes that their venom would remove the sickness (document 10). Doctors also observed people become crazy because of the plague. According to Johann Weyer, a German physician, family of the deceased had paid people who worked at Casale to smear ointment on the gates in order to spread the plague faster. The family members wanted to receive their inheritances faster (document 4). Certain people, including physicians such as M. Bertrand, believed that the plague was a punishment from God (document 16). …show more content…
Some people believed that the plague was a punishment as opposed to an ordinary sickness while others continued to trust in their faith (document 16). The latter appears to be the more common reaction. An Italian housewife stated that she fed her infected husband a piece that had touched Saint Domenica and it had cured him by breaking his fever (document 7). Father Dragoni and other priests tried their best to take care of the sick and treat them with compassion (document
Many people of this time thought the Plague arrived due to their sins as accounted by Gabriele de’ Mussis. “I pronounce these judgment: may your joys be turned to mourning, your prosperity be shaken by adversity, the course of your life be passed in never ending terror…no one will be given rest, poisoned arrows will strike everyone, fevers will throw down the proud, and incurable disease will strike like lightning” This quote reveals that God imposed the plague onto the people and they had to suffer due to their sins. In another section of this book, there is an excerpt from Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron. In it he describes the symptoms the people in the city of Florence suffered due to this disease. “It’s earliest symptom, in men and women alike, was the appearance of certain swellings in the groin or the armpit, some of which were egg shaped while some where the size of a common apple…Later on…people began to find dark botches and bruises on their arms, thighs, and other parts of the body” This source is one of many found in Horrox’s book that all list the same symptoms for this mysterious disease throughout all of
These theories would create a change in the people’s belief system while the scientific minds of the time under the leadership of the King would argue that the black plague was a result of stars aligning or a polluted fog that would eventually clear up. Because the doctors had blamed the plague on a polluted fog, their remedy was to prevent the fog. Initially they would burn fires to prevent misting or fogs and they would also use incense to decrease the chance of catching the disease. As we have done in modern times, they were also warned against eating meats or certain types of fruits, recommend against bathing in public places and, or having sex. Another method used was to bleed the patients in order to draw the toxin out of the blood. Although many Christians had become disgruntled at the lack of answers from their priests, many continued to turn to the church for a cure, they would pray to God to end through practicing a very extreme religious sacrifice such as self-flagellation and the persecuting of the Jewish people, who at the time seemed to be immune from the black plague. Those who survived the plague suffered from an identity crisis in their faith. Instead of a deeper understanding of their faith many resented their church leaders because the lack of answers and assistance. Even
Wray, S. K. (2004). Boccaccio and the doctors: Medicine and compassion in the face of the plague. Journal of Medieval History 30(3), 301-322. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
In the document, it was clear that no one knew what caused the plague or how it was spread. Aside from saying he thought that medicine seemed to accelerate the process of dying, the people had no idea what was happening or why it was; to them, this seemed like the end of the world. When people are afraid and have little to no hope left, they do unimaginable things, such as some of the terrible acts described in the document (like refusing to bury the dead). With the majority of the city dead, it fell the shambles. Di Tura says, “No one controls anything,” and, “Now, no one knows how to put their life back together.” The plague was the the single root of all these problems.
A German physician said that people would purposefully give people the plague so that they could “obtain their inheritance more quickly” (doc 2). The point of view of a physician is significant because during this time he doesnt note that them transmitting the sickness, will in return give it to them as well; this shows that doctors weren't aware of all the things we are today. Similarly, Miguel Parets stated that many nurses would make their patients die faster so that they could get paid quicker (doc 7). This was most likely written for people to be aware of murderous nurses in Barcelona. Even French physician said that the only way to cure yourself was death (doc 6). This means that at this time even the doctors had given up hope. Heinrich von Staden noted that people were exiled when exposed to such diseases and were locked in their homes to die (doc 3). This eventually led to the spread of the disease because when they would die, robbers would break into their homes to loot but would end up catching the disease and spread it even more. However, this was corrected in 1576 when they decided to start quarintening the houses and burning the bodies (doc 4). This is important because it greatly reduced the number of deaths although not totally eradicating them.
There were many symptoms that came with one getting the plague and very little medication to treat it. “The disease was present in two forms: one that infected the bloodstream, causing the buboes and internal bleeding, and was spread by contact; and a second, more virulent pneumonic type that infected the lungs and was spread by respiratory infection” (Tuchman).
The black death was a bubonic plague that wiped out a third of Europe’s population from 1347 to 1351. It was originally believed to have been caused by fleas on rats in Black Sea ships that traded with Europe from Central Asia’s steppes. However, recent studies using teeth models suggest this pandemic was primarily caused by human fleas from China and along the trade routes.
Many people were confused by the way that the plague seemed to strike down some while missing others. They compared it to the Angel of Death, whose arrows came and shot some people with sickness (Doc 3). They believed that the plague was a punishment sent from God. This belief, along with the imminency of death, sent people running back to churches and praying for a spot in Heaven. Along with the belief that this was a punishment mandated from Heaven, many believed that the plague was the fault of the Jews. Many monarchs of the time were indebted to the Jews, however, they did not want to pay them back the money owed. Instead, they blamed the Jews for poisoning the town’s water supply, condemning them to either being burned at the stake or baptised into the Christian church (Doc 6). This mentality of accusation and cruelty had been portrayed before this time, with the Crusades against non-Christians from 1095 to the late 1200’s. The plague became such a normality, that children were singing nursery rhymes about it. “Ring Around the Rosy,” a popular kids song to this day, was about the mortality caused by the plague (Doc 5). In a few short lines it mentions how even the church couldn't save the victims of the plague, and how one had to succumb to masked the stench using spices, such as cloves or vinegar, or flowers in this case to mask the stench of the
When the plague broke out in Europe, millions were affected, causing several different reactions from all kinds of different people. With each new reaction came new problems, on top of the already outrageous disease. A few various responses to the outbreak were superstition caused by others lying, fear that people would lose their lives, and blaming others for the issue that no one had control over.
Around 1347-1348 the most well-known epidemic struck the European world. The bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death or the Black Plague, rained sickness over millions; for most people, death was the only end to the sickness. The Black Death is known as one of the most depressing occurrences in history. It attacked the three most important aspects of a person’s well-being, their mental, emotional and physical health. While the plague impacted early society, authors, Jean de Venette and Giovanni Boccaccio, described the epidemic in their own words. Modern author, Charles L. Mee Jr., describes the plague with the scientific knowledge he has living in today’s society. These three authors wrote about the bubonic plague with their own voice’s and reasoning’s but many of the accounts they mention are similar to one another. Jean de Venette, Giovanni Boccaccio and Charles L. Mee Jr. explain the symptoms, the causes and the way people acted because of the black plague.
‘’These changes were both positive and negative and contributed to conditions favorable to the decline of feudalism, the end of the Middle Ages and the emergence of the Renaissance’’(Cultural and Economic). The Church could not save people, nor come up with a reason why this plague was here, which had people questioning their beliefs (Cultural and Economic). Doctors could not even understand the disease, nor how it transpired, which led people to thinking supernatural powers the cause (Cultural and Economic). It was easy for people to point fingers and blame people and lose faith (Cultural and Economic). Many people believed the plague was some kind of punishment from God for their sins such as greed, blasphemy, heresy, fornication and worldliness (History.com Staff). The only way they thought they could end this plague was to win God’s forgiveness (History.com Staff). ‘‘Some people believed that the way to do this was to purge their communities of heretics and other troublemakers–so, for example, many thousands of Jews were massacred in 1348 and 1349’’(History.com Staff). This massacred was because it was told that the Jews were trying to kill off the Christians (Ken). Jews were usually merchants and merchants were the ones that carried the infected rodents (Cultural and Economic). Another way people tried to make amends was by whipping or beating themselves
Many people were fearful of this new plague that was spreading. Much of this fear was spurned by the fact that no one truly knew the cause of the plague. Many had their theories, however, and many blamed the Jews for the panic that ensued from the epidemic. Because of this, many European rulers from expelling the Jews from their countries. In England, it was the filth of the streets and of the dogs that caused such a widespread and deadly disease. (Document 2) The rich of France were so terrified and economically endowed that they were able to flee the country, leaving the poor to the mercy of the plague. (Document 3)
Treatment of the victims was thought at the time was justified and reasonable because of the situation. The people believed that all they had to do do was isolate the victims at the earliest signs of infection and everyone would be fine, but the plague spread to rapidly and before people even realized that they had been infected they spread it to others. Still people trapped any one who seemed to be having any similar symptoms of a host of the
The site MedicineNet.com confirmed that, “The plague once was a very deadly epidemic that started in Cenral Asia and spread all throughout the countries of Europe.” In the times that it spread the plague mostly killed anybody that got in the way of it. The plague was spread by any animal that had fleas.The author Joseph Byrne stated that, “The rats contracted the disease by getting it from other little creatures such as fleas, then the fleas would travel jumping onto other animals giving them the disease and eventually giving the people of Asia and through Europe the disease which ultimately had consequences.” During the time of the plague people didn’t know what to do, because they have never seen such a disease killing over thousands of people at a time. Also it didn’t help that the people had no
The Knowledge of Plague dates back to Columbus's discovery of America, where Europeans spread deadly diseases such as Smallpox, measles, and influenza to Native Americans. Throughout history countless epidemics took the lives of mankind. Humanity tackled on these diseases with the development of vaccinations. Vaccines have vastly been improved through the growth of human civilization.