The Black Plague Essay Research Paper

The Black Plague Essay, Research Paper “The Black Plague” The Black Plague was one of the worst and deadliest diseases known to man in the history of the world. The Plague originated in Italy and quickly spread throughout Europe killing more than one hundred thirty seven million people. Early treatments for the Plague were often bizarre but eventually came in a vaccine and through isolation. The symptoms of the Black Plague were swellings called buboes and dried blood under the skin that appeared black. The Black Plague changed the world in several different ways. It resulted in medical advances and architectural setbacks. In the 1300’s one of the most fearful and deadliest diseases known to humans erupted somewhere in Central Asia; the Black Plague. It came to England

in 1348 and for over three centuries the Black Plague remained a continual fear in the everyday life of citizens in Europe. The Plague struck first along the northern edge of the Black Sea in 1348, where it killed and estimated eighty eight thousand people in less than three months. The Plague reached southern England in the late summer of 1348 and swept northward through the following year. The Black Plague completed it’s journey and died out by the end of 1351. Although the people of Medieval Europe did not know the direct cause of the Plague, they believed without doubt that God was responsible, judging human behavior and ready to punish the wicked. They concluded that this Black Plague was punishment from an angry God (Corzine 27-31). The Black Plague had several different

names. Bubonic Plague received its name because of the painful swellings it produced called buboes. The Black Death is another name which was given to the Plague because of the appearance of black blood beneath the skin. This disease became associated with the term “plague” because of the widespread fatalities that it caused throughout history (Platt 10-11). The people of the fourteenth century were uneducated and susceptible to superstitions. Some of the early treatments for the plague were the wearing of excrement and bathing in human urine. Other precautions were the use of leeches and the placing of dead animals in infested homes (Zeigler 35). Today he Bubonic Plague has a vaccine that lasts for about six months. It is not available in the United States yet. A new vaccine

is being worked on and could be licensed later this year. Travelers to plague infested areas should take a special antibiotic. The most effective way to prevent plague is better sanitation. As plagues occurred regularly after the 1350’s, preventative measures began to grow. Plague patients were placed in pesthouses, isolated from the general population. Ships coming in from areas where plague had broken out were forced to stay out of the port for forty days. This stopped plague infested individuals from bringing the plague ashore, and if the plague was present on the ship, it would die out during the forty day quarantine. Doctors wore protective gear to prevent themselves from being infected (Nardor 53). Among the most vivid accounts of the Black Plague’s origins and symptoms

are those of its earliest survivors. The early symptoms of the plague include: shivering, headache, vomiting, intolerance to light, pain in the back and limbs, and a white coating on the tongue. The more vivid symptom in men and women was the appearance of certain swellings in the groin and armpit area. These swellings, called buboes, were very painful swollen lymph nodes. From the two areas mentioned, the deadly swellings would begin to spread and within a short period of time they would appear at random all over the body. These swellings, to anyone unfortunate enough to contract them, were definite signs that they would soon die (Bunson 93). Another common symptom of the Black Plague is the appearance of black blood under the skin after death. Severe hemorrhage takes place