Bubonic Plague

How people in the Middle Ages reacted to and cured "the Great Plague".

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Brief History

Commonly referred to as "Black Death" or "Great Death" or the "Great Plague" 3 Plague Pandemics o o o 1st (Justinianic)- 6th- 8th centuries 2nd- 14th- 19th centuries, which wiped out 1/3 2/3 of population 3rd- Late 19th century The most known plague was the 2nd Plague Pandemic, more modernly referred to as the "Black Death" which was most present in Europe

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Black Death

Small pathogen that infected fleas which traveled by rats Rats traveled by ship to new places, bringing disease with them, eventually infected humans Symptoms included o o o o Buboes (nasty welts on skin that oozed and bled) Fever Vomiting blood Death came within 5-7 days

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Civilian Reactions

Some quarantined themselves in small groups away from others o Ignored that this was happening, it was "unspeakable"

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Civilian Reactions

Others went out o Drank excessively o o Sang and celebrated Lived life to the fullest

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Medieval Medical Cures

Victims were instructed to vomit daily on an empty stomach Drink warm ale with ginger to sweat out the sickness Bloodletting Used ginger to relieve nausea Echinacea to boost immune system

More Medieval Cures

• Animal cures o o Ointments made from goose grease Goat cheese mixed with bull blood to relieve headache

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Spiritual Cures Used by Christians

Christian sect known as Flagellants would whip themselves to repent for sin, hoping they would be cured Prayed Would burn Jews in an attempt to please God

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Scientific Explanations

Some physicians blamed o o o Astrological forces Earthquakes or fogs "Bad air"

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How Christians Reacted

Blamed Jews o o o o Thought that Jewish people were poisoning wells Feb. 1349 2,000 Jews in Strasbourg were murdered by Christians Similar events happened in Frankfurt, Mainz, and Cologne Small Jewish communities were also terrorized Thought it was a divine punishment

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How Muslims Reacted

Denied it was contagious Scholar Lisan al- Din Ibn al- Khatib (d. 1374) argued the Black Death was contagious, and was later charged with heresy Believed that since the plague was sent by God they should not and could not treat it, so they simply endured it

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Mortality Rate

About 1/3 of Europe's population died (or 75 200 million dead) Precise death toll cannot be determined o o Some towns lost up to 50% of population Those who lived in rural areas were not as affected as those in more densely populated areas.

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Sources

Bennett, Judith M. Medieval Europe: A Short History. 11th ed.Print.

Wiesner, Merry. Documents On The Black Death. PDF.

Stearns, Justin. New Directions in the Study

of Religious Responses to the Black Death.

PDF.

Horrox, Rosemary. The Black Death. Web. http://www.medievalsources.co.uk/finish% 20pdfs/bdfins.pdf#page=173