The medieval period is a time I really enjoyed learning about. One of the hardships that time period had to face was the black death. The plague killed more than 20 million people in Europe over a period of five. It started in Europe in 1347 when ships from the Black ship docked in Messina and it was discovered that most of the sailors were dead or greatly ill. The symptoms of the plague were, swelling as big as an apple, then came boils. The boils would cause blood or pus. Then people would experience a fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, aches and pains. All of theses symptoms usually ended in death. By the end of the 19th century it was founded by Alexandre Yersin had discovered that the black death was caused by a germ that was found in rats and fleas.
I find this part of the medieval times to be very interesting because of what we are going though right now with COVID-19. While the coronavirus is not as extreme as the black death. It is still a deadly disease that a lot of people don’t know a lot about. Just like in the times of the plague a lot of people didn’t know a lot about the disease except that people were dying. While we have better technology and are learning about COVID-19 more and more every day. It is still a scary experience for people.
The black death had healthy people doing all they could to avoid getting sick. “Doctors refused to see patients; priests refused to administer last rites; and shopkeepers closed their stores” (History, 2020). This text reminds me what is happening today. Doctors are only seeing patients after doing an over the phone interview to make sure they don’t have symptoms of the coronavirus and a lot of stores are closing to help stop the spread. Social distancing and quarantine were something that was also used during the medieval times. It appears we are taking a lot of the same precautions as those who were dealing with the black death.
The plague never really went away. We have antibiotics now that help, but It is said that there are still about 1,000 to 3,000 cases every year of the plague. Which when you think about it, things like disease never really go away. We just find ways to cure them. Like with antibiotics and vaccines.
References
History. (2020, March 30). Black Death. Retrieved from History: https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/black-death
Khary Kyle says
I was very interested in your blog about The Black Death. It caused me to explore it more. What I found interesting are the similarities between the plague and COVID-19 as well as the science behind the plague and society’s reactions.
The Bubonic plague, much like COVID-19 originated in Asia and was thought to have been transported to Europe via ships along common trade routes. The plague infects the blood and is carried by a combination of rats, fleas, and humans. It is spread through an exchange of fluids such as a bite; but can also be airborne. Therefore, simply touching something as simple as an article of clothing is enough to contract the disease. Once infected, it attacks the lymphatic system, causing swelling of the lymph nodes. The first known stop was the port city of Messina in Sicily, Italy. The source of the plague is a bacteria known as Yersina Pestis. This bacteria lives within the blood of rats, some of which have developed an immunity. Fleas, which typically bite rats and digest their blood, are unable to do so after biting a rat infected with Yersina Pestis. A toxin produced by the virus inhibits fleas from digesting the infected blood. Fleas often transmit this disease to humans through a bite. Once it bites the human subject, it vomits the rat’s infected blood into the human subject, thereby passing the virus along. There exist two versions of pathology for this virus: one pneumonic, the other septicemic. The pneumonic version enters the lungs. Following a period between four to seven days, the lungs begin to liquify. When this occurs, the subject begins to cough violently, unaware they are coughing up their own lungs leading to death. The septicemic version inhibits the body’s ability to clot. This condition produces hemorrhaging from various parts of the body simultaneously, also leading to death.
Another interesting observation was the similarities and differences of reactions to this epidemic. During the medieval period, those believed sick were quarantined, isolated from society until the people were assured the disease had passed. During this time, no contact of any type was allowed including priests providing last rites, doctors refusing to see patients, shopkeepers closing their stores, families absconding farewell wishes, nor other customs once thought to be indispensable. Medical personnel used blood-letting and boil lancing as common methods of treatment. Neither of which was considered either sanitary or safe, and likely aided in the spread of the disease rather than its treatment. Some attributed this plague as a punishment from God which would continue until penance was made. In light of this, some upper class men known as flagellants would travel from town to town, performing penance and punishment on themselves through lashing one another with a cat-of-nine tails. This was done as a means of maintaining a feeling of control in an otherwise helpless situation.
Resources
History.com Editors (2010). Black Death. History.com 17 September, 2010. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/black-death.
Jessica Buck says
Hi Deysha!
I found your article to be very interesting and relevant to the current news. I found an article written by Kathryn McKinley from the Times of Israel where she recounts the similarities between the Black Plague and Covid-19. In the article she recounts the stories of Italian writer, Giovanni Boccaccio, where he wrote a collection of 100 novellas titled “The Decameron.” These stories, though fictional, give us a window into medieval life during the Black Death and the division of the rich and the poor during these times. They are 100 stories narrated by 10 nobles who have escaped to the countryside to avoid death in the city, only to run to luxurious mansions, still requiring the poor to work for them and take care of their sick, only continuing to spread the disease more.
As I continue this thought, I am reminded of the modern day New York City blogger, Arielle Charnas, who got a positive diagnosis of Covid-19 after contacting her doctor friend to get her a test when tests were not available to others who needed them. She then got a positive diagnosis and fled to her house in the Hampton’s, possibly infecting many others along the way.
Hopefully the better off folks of the world will think twice about leaving and hurting those around them!
Bryant, K. (2020, April 3). Is This the End of Influencing as We Knew It? Retrieved from https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/04/influencers-coronavirus-arielle-charnas-escape-new-york
McKinley, K. (2020, April 20). The reaction of the rich to bubonic plague is eerily similar to today’s pandemic. Retrieved from https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-reaction-of-the-rich-to-bubonic-plague-is-eerily-similar-to-todays-pandemic/