Happy Thursday, and welcome back to late start days! Our blog assignment for today is to explain what the Black Death was and give details as to how it affected Europe in the Middle Ages.
The Black Death was caused by a pandemic of many forms of plague. All were of the same disease, but they could be transmitted differently. Most commonly, the Black Death was spread and identified by large dark spots in specific areas of the human body called buboes. This form of transmission was most common and is known as the bubonic plague.
The bubonic plague started somewhere in China or the Far East in 1333 and was spread by merchant ships coming to Europe. These ships contained rats who had been infected with the disease. Fleas on the rats quickly spread the disease back to humans. The first European outbreak occurred in 1347.
At the time, there was little basis for treatment of diseases and most medicine was based on religion rather than science. This was unfortunate because the Black Death killed extremely quickly. Typically patients died within a week of catching the disease. Men in suits and masks walked from door-to-door carrying out ineffective methods of treatment. The only way the Black Death died out was by letting it go naturally. This happened within four years -- the Black Death as we most commonly know it was gone from Europe by 1351. However, it had already done massive damage to Europe. It wiped out 25 million people between the years 1347 and 1351; almost a third of Europe's population! The Black Death is seen as a major point in both world history and medical and pandemic science nowadays, and I can see why.
The Black Death was caused by a pandemic of many forms of plague. All were of the same disease, but they could be transmitted differently. Most commonly, the Black Death was spread and identified by large dark spots in specific areas of the human body called buboes. This form of transmission was most common and is known as the bubonic plague.
The bubonic plague started somewhere in China or the Far East in 1333 and was spread by merchant ships coming to Europe. These ships contained rats who had been infected with the disease. Fleas on the rats quickly spread the disease back to humans. The first European outbreak occurred in 1347.
At the time, there was little basis for treatment of diseases and most medicine was based on religion rather than science. This was unfortunate because the Black Death killed extremely quickly. Typically patients died within a week of catching the disease. Men in suits and masks walked from door-to-door carrying out ineffective methods of treatment. The only way the Black Death died out was by letting it go naturally. This happened within four years -- the Black Death as we most commonly know it was gone from Europe by 1351. However, it had already done massive damage to Europe. It wiped out 25 million people between the years 1347 and 1351; almost a third of Europe's population! The Black Death is seen as a major point in both world history and medical and pandemic science nowadays, and I can see why.
RSS Feed