Premium Essay

The Bubonic Plague In The Middle Ages

Submitted By
Words 477
Pages 2
The bubonic plague was a fatal disease that had been terrorizing the population of Europe for years. Many people fought this disease but only a few were able to overcome it. The black death was a huge part of the Middle ages that caused chaos and destruction. After the Plague had settled down, Europe was faced with only 40 percent of its population. This affected not only the people but the way they lived. This wretched period led people to change their values and beliefs.

What is the Bubonic Plague?

The Bubonic plague was a deadly disease that is easily transmitted, which makes it even more dangerous. The Plague is caused by a bacteria known as yersinia pestis, which affects both humans and other mammals. The Plague is carried by infected fleas that seek shelter in rodents, specifically rats. It is a painful process that only takes three to seven days for symptoms to be expressed. The symptoms include swollen lymph nodes the size of chicken eggs that appear in the groin, armpit, or neck. A fever would also kick in which was a huge red flag to people who were unsure whether or not they had the bacterial infection. …show more content…
The plague is transmitted by the bites of infected fleas. A common mistake is the idea that the bacteria lives inside the rodents which is not true. After the rodents would die the fleas would need to find another host to feed off of. This included humans as well as cows, sheeps, and other farm animals. This is why people could not escape into the countryside of Europe since their farm animals would most likely already be infected.

Was there any

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Bubonic Plague In Medieval Europe During The Middle Ages

...one of Europe’s darkest times in history with the emergence of the Bubonic Plague, also called Black Plague, which caused horrible symptoms that killed its victims in a short amount of time (CDC). Many people at the time did not understand how exactly the disease came about and placed the blame on people. Even though this disease was horrible and brought many consequences, it began to shape Europe as we know it and brought many technological and medical advancements (History). - The Bubonic Plague was named after buboes, which means swollen lymph node, a distinguishing feature noticed in individuals...

Words: 900 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Bubonic Plague

...Bubonic plague is believed to have brought the Byzantine empire to its knees in the 6th century. This is the first ever documented record of bubonic plague in human history. But the fact that bubonic plague continues to afflict human population even today is a matter of concern. Your bubonic plague research paper would revolve around the premise of it being a deadly disease, but we assure you that we won’t scare you by the facts. Bubonic plague is typically differentiated from other infections because of its roots in the bacteria, Yersinia pestis or Pastuerella pestis. The bacteria typically infects the spleen, lungs, kidneys and brain. It is spread by virtue of rats and fleas. The staff at ProfEssays.com could as Help with Bubonic Plague Research Paperwell spell out some of its symptoms as shivering chills staggering gait stuttered speech memory loss weakness The early symptoms lead to graver consequences, and the ultimate zenith is reached when the patient ultimately breaths his last. Several deaths were caused by bubonic plague in the 14th century when medical science wasn’t developed as it is today. A nursing and healthcare term paper could focus on the facilities provided to modern healthcare officials that were not available in the 14th century. It killed almost 30 per cent of the contemporary European population. Infection is spread through fleas and rodents. It is a common occurrence to have rodents whenever there are earthquakes or other such calamities. The...

Words: 1154 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Bubonic Plague and Humanity

...closest friends would be dead. That is what life was like when the bubonic plague took hold of Europe. Within three years nearly half of the European population was killed off. Like most sad stories, the tragedy of the bubonic plague has a silver lining. The drastic change in population destroyed the feudal system, allowed freedom of thought and gave birth to a new middle class.
 There was nothing pretty about the bubonic plague. It likely came from China and was carried to Europe by a few merchants and the rats/fleas that came with them on the ships. Once an individual caught the disease they had approximately 4 days to live. On the first day you would feel sick and start to develop patches of swelling. On the second day you might begin to vomit, developed a fever and the swellings would grow. On the third day bleeding under the skin would begin appearing and an unpleasant odor would arise. On the fourth day the illness attacked the nervous system, convulsions begin. Most people died on the fourth day. The disease was so contagious that nearly everyone who came into contact with a victim would also be dead in a matter of days. Before the days of the plague Europe operated on the Feudal system which basically involved three parties; the church, nobility and serfs. The lords owned all of the land while the vassals and serfs farmed it, in turn paying very high taxes to the lords. When the plague came the only way to survive was to leave the cities and move...

Words: 709 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Age Of Disasters In The Viv Century Of The Middle Ages

...Age of Disasters The XII century was a successful century, it could be called the best century of the Middle Ages although everything was leading to something way more different in the next century. The contrasts created between the XIII and the XIV centuries were very huge. Many things that happened in the XIV century gave this century an unlikely fame. This century is recognized as the “Age of Disasters”. There were factors of many different natures that gave this century its reputation. The Hundred Year’s War was considered to be the first international war within Europe, this war was between France and England. When France’s king died, England and France claimed the rights, Felipe de Valois was supposed to be the next king but England...

Words: 601 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Pneumonic Plague Research Papers

...panic. The combination of bubonic plague, pneumonic plague, and septicemic plague created this fatal disease. Its deadly symptoms and high mortality rate greatly afflicted countries worldwide. In a span of about seven years, 1346-1353, it was able to kill off about sixty percent of the European population. The disease originated in Asia,...

Words: 711 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Ebola Vs Bubonic Plague

...Introduction The Bubonic plague of the Middle Ages has proven itself to be one of the worst pandemics in history. Ebola, in the meantime, has also proven to be deadly and threatening since the outbreak in 2014. It upgraded itself from an outbreak to an epidemic. What if Ebola becomes a pandemic? Would it be deadlier than the Bubonic plague? This is the question that this thesis paper will attempt to find the answer to. This paper will provide detailed backgrounds of both of these diseases; including their history and historical relevance, their causes and effects, even their levels of damage and possible cures. This paper will expand your knowledge of both diseases to such an extent that you can accurately compare and contrast them in order...

Words: 3510 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Bubonic Plague: The Black Death

...widespread epidemic, in the Middle Ages, that was caused by bubonic plague. Bubonic plague was a disease that spread through fleas and rats. The Black Death affected Italy around 1347, and it quickly reached Spain and France. From Spain and France, it spread to the rest of Europe. In the 1300s the Black Death spread to China killing an estimated amount of 35 million people. It condemned one in three people to death, and the death rate was worse than that of any war in history. Symptoms of the plague included but were not limited to: black boils covering the body (specifically under the arms), high fevers, and vomiting. Economically the Black Death caused inflation, the revolt of the citizens due to fear, and normal life...

Words: 602 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Bubonic Plague Research Paper

...Bubonic plague is an infectious disease that is spread by the bacteria Yersinia pestis. These bacteria remain in a dormant state primarily in a rat flea’s foregut. Once the flea has bitten a victim it regurgitates the contents in its foregut into the bite location. Once the bacterium has entered into a mammal’s warm body it begins to reproduce and spread throughout the mammal’s body. The reproduction of this bacterium creates large painful swollen lymph nodes which are called buboes. Once these buboes get large enough they begin to ooze infected body fluid so that any contact between an infected person and a healthy person will facilitate the spread of this disease. (The Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012) The areas where the buboes form are the neck, armpits, upper femoral, and groin. Once a person has been infected with Yersinia pestis it usually takes 2-5 days until they begin to show signs and symptoms of the illness. These symptoms include acral gangrene which is gangrene of the extremities to include fingers, toes, lips, and tip of the nose. Total body chills that also comes with severe uncontrollable shakes. A high fever of 102 degrees Fahrenheit that induces muscle cramps. Seizures are another common symptom as well as pain begins before the buboes begin to form. In very extreme cases the victim will begin to change skin color to a pinkish hue. Some more less common symptoms are the vomiting of blood, heavy breathing, aching limbs, extreme pain, and coughing. With cases that the...

Words: 1704 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Yersinia Pestis Research Paper

...Yersinia Pesitis – The Plague Yersinia pestis is a highly infectious, Gram negative bacillus that is transmitted to humans usually through the bite of infected fleas. [1]. Yersinia pestis reaching the respiratory tract results in pneumonic plague, which is also highly contagious due to its airborne transmission. [1]. Pneumonic plague usually causes fatality in “less than three days if no treatment is administered.” [1]. History In 1894, Alexandre Yersin described, discovered, and cultured the bacteria that causes Plague. [5]. Later, in 1894, Jean-Paul Simond discovered that transmission was due to flea bites from infected rodents. [5]. “Plague has been one of the deadliest bacterial infections in human history, causing millions of deaths...

Words: 1178 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

The Black Plague

...Glover Professor Schmitt English 2111-45 November 27, 2012 The Black Plague The Black Plague is a disease contracted from diseased animals, mostly by fleas, to human. The Black Plague then may be contracted by humans touching or breathing on one another. This disease is highly deadly and the bacterium that causes this disease is Yersinia Pestis. The Black Plague or as many call it “The Black Death” arrived in Europe by sea October 1347 when twelve Genoese trading ships docked at the Sicilian port of Messina after traveling through the Black Sea. Europe’s communities were devastated by the amount of suffering and death the disease brought to the people. The most common characteristic of the black plague is the black boils that appear all over the human body and then the boils bursts open with the blood oozing out black. The black blood that oozes out is why people call it the black plague. The symptoms of the disease can progress to other categories of the black plague which are: septicemia plague, pneumonic plague, and bubonic plague. The Sopticemic plague is the rarest deadliest bacterial infection caused by a bacterium called Yersinia Pertis. The plague begins to destroy the human body “when the bacterium enters the bloodstream through an open wound the person is known to be infected by plague. The bacterium multiplies in the blood and results in septicemic plague. This form of plague like the other types is capable of causing disseminated intravascular coagulation...

Words: 747 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

How Did The Black Death Change In The High Middle Ages

...The Black Death stands out as the most dramatic and lifestyle changing event during the 14th century. This was a widespread epidemic of the bubonic plague that passed from Asia and through Europe in the mid fourteenth century. The first signs of the Black Death in Europe were present around the fall of 1346. In the span of three years, the Black Death killed one third of all the people in Europe. This traumatic population change coming into the Late Middle Ages caused great changes in European culture and lifestyle. How exactly did the plaque begin? The Black Death was one of many catastrophes to occur following an increase in population during the High Middle Ages (1000-1300). The population of Europe grew from 38 million to 74 million in this time. Before the plague, Europe had been enjoying an increased state of growth in both agriculture and structure in society. Cities began to rise with artisans, farmers, and other crafts people specializing in their own field of work. The daily amount of contact between the European people in the cities and...

Words: 1370 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

The Black Plague

...The Black Plague “The Renaissance Death of England” Jayne Ritzinger GS102 – Introduction of Life Science September 2, 2009 The Black Plague in a Medieval Perspective “The Renaissance Death of England” The Sixteenth Century and Bubonic Plague The year is 1350 and death has travelled Western Asia and Europe for a decade. The death rate has exceeded 10 million due to the Black Plague, which is the curse of Europe (Bollinger, 1983). Travelling by boat and carriage, the Black Death has infected the known world from Constantinople to London. “The first attack, known since the late sixteenth century as the Black Death but to contemporaries as “the great mortality”, occurred in southern England in 1348; by the end of 1349 it had spread to Central Scotland” (Morgan, 1984). Rats and the lice that traveled on them were the common cause, but the Sixteenth Century had no such mechanism to identify the causation of the plague “Plague is characterized by periodic disease outbreaks in rodent populations, some of which have a high death rate. During these outbreaks, hungry infected fleas that have lost their normal hosts seek other sources of blood, thus escalating the increased risk to humans and other animals frequenting the area” (Plague, 2009). As defined by the Center for Disease Control, the Black Plague is defined as follows: Plague is an infectious disease of animals and humans caused by a bacterium named Yersinia Pestis. Epidemics of plague in humans usually involve house rats...

Words: 1817 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

The Bubonic Plague: The Black Death

...Thousands dropping per day, millions of dead already. The black death, also known as the bubonic plague spread so fast that no one could do anything about it. The columbian exchange was a large part of the black death especially since the things who infected people lived on ships and boats. The reason the Black Death was named the Black Death was because the things that infected people were lack rats and fleas. You could get infected by either getting butten by a rat, or being bitten by a flea. The fleas were not actually infected with the disease though, the fleas carried the disease with themafter biting a rat. The flas could not digest all of the rats blood when sucking it, so it would carry it to the next person,it bites. The next person...

Words: 1382 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Religion In The Middle Ages

...The exact dates of the Middle Ages are misleading, Historians place the beginning of the period between the death of the Roman emperor Theodosius I in 395 and the fall of Rome to the Goths in 410. Also known as The Dark Ages, the term may be more a judgment than an actual period of history, because of the lack of available sources that could be used evaluate the period were lost or destroyed due to years of war and insurrection. After the fall of Rome in 410, life changed dramatically. The aqueducts that once delivered fresh water to citizens fell to ruin because maintenance was no longer funded, and even worse, the once great architectural marvels were harvested by peasants to build their homes. As well, the complex system of waste removal...

Words: 1325 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Black Death

...manifestation of the plague in Europe historically known as "Black Death", “ fever " or "Bubonic plague" among other epithets, is a particular example of why a pest or plague can be developed and how can it be controlled. In this specific case, the plague is used to expand from the general conditions of a concrete reality, and disappears spontaneously when these conditions vary, these circumstances promoted behavioral changes to encourage changes in behavior and domestic actions of man, which in turn caused such a change of environment that disfavored the transcendence of the plague, which has its ultimate manifestation in the Old Continent nearly four hundred years after his arrival in Europe. Some people consider this event as the worst of the epidemics that affected man in its history. Although historically it has been established that the disease was bubonic plague acting with pneumonic and septicemic variants, some researchers attribute the high mortality registered to more than one disease, they base their statements and even in our times, by studying bones from graves that in which tradition is known to have been buried victims of the plague , in some cases there was no evidence of bubonic plague and its variants in one hand and in the other hand traces of other diseases such as Anthrax were found. What is certain and beyond doubt is that this epidemic ends with the third part of the population then, between 20 and 25 million people. Bubonic plague or Black Death...

Words: 1901 - Pages: 8