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Pneumonic Plague: The Black Death

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The Black Death
During the fourteenth century, Europe’s population was greatly reduced by the Black Plague. The Black Plague arrived in Europe from trading ships. Black rats carried the disease; fleas would become infected after biting the rats and then would bite humans. Transmission of the Plague was not understood, nor was ways to cure the infected. The Plague “is categorized into three specific types of plague caused by the same bacteria, yersinia pestis: - Bubonic Plague (infection in the lymph nodes, or buboes) - Pneumonic Plague (the infection in the lungs) - Septicemic Plague (the infection in the blood [also the most deadly of the three]).”(Power point) The Black Plague was so devastating that it was considered to be the first true pandemic on earth and is often called the Black Death. The areas affected by this devastating disease have different views on the diagnosis and treatment for the Black Death.
One observation was that of Giovanni Boccaccio, who spent time in Florence, Italy. He believed that the Black Plague was either a punishment from God for sinning or was possibly caused by the influence of the planets. The Plague manifested differently in Florence …show more content…
His work, especially the book of Canon, was translated into many languages. During the 13th Century, the first university in Europe to use the book of Canon as the basis for its medical education program. Avicenna realized that you could catch diseases from contact with infected people. Although germs had not been discovered yet, Avicenna suggested quarantining the sick, to stop the spread of disease (Moosavi). During the outbreaks of Black Plague, other cities tried similar measures to isolate the disease. Milan avoided a major outbreak, possibly because authorities sealed up three houses where the occupants had been afflicted with the plague. Avicenna is just one example of a person ahead of his time in the medical

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