...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...
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...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...
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...line ‘Ashes, Ashes we all fall down.” meaning that millions of people were dying during that time. The famous plague is know as the Bubonic Plague (The Black Death). Nobody in those days knew much about the plague, but they definitely encountered it. The fatal Bubonic Plague caused by a bacteria known as Yersinia, resulted in devastation, deaths throughout Europe and in some cases loss of faith. The Plague first began in small animals like rodents, and mice. According to (Seekers, DNEWS) “The bubonic plague first emerged in China more than 2,600 years ago.”...
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...How the Black Death Affected the Modern World The Black Death is the worst plague that mankind has ever had to face, much worse than anything we face today. The mortality rate was astounding; whoever was unfortunate enough to become infected with the Black Death would die in a matter of days while suffering through a great deal of pain and agony (Snell). Its peak was around 1348-1353 in Europe, ranging from England all the way to Eastern Europe and beyond (The Black Death, 1348, 2001). The Black Death is thought to have started in China or central Asia, before spreading west. The plague then travelled along the Silk Road and reached the Crimea by 1347. From there, it was probably carried by Oriental rat fleas living on the black rats that were regular passengers on merchant ships. Spreading throughout the Mediterranean and Europe, the Black Death is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europe's population. All in all, the plague reduced the world population from an estimated 450 million to between 350 and 375 million in the 14th century (Ibeji, 2011). The plague disease, generally thought to be caused by Yersinia pestis, is commonly present in populations of fleas carried by ground rodents, including marmots, in various areas including Central Asia, Kurdistan, Western Asia, Northern India and Uganda (Edmonds). Plague was reportedly first introduced to Europe at the trading city of Caffa in the Crimea in 1347 (Whipps, 2008). After a protracted siege, during which the Mongol...
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...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...
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...The Black Death was spread through trade routes particularly through the Silk Road, and it first began in Central Asia spreading from the bloodstream of black rats carried on by the fleas who fed on them, which was spread by a bacteria called Yersina pestis. It spread into Italy when the ships docked and even though the residents of Italy realised that the people on board were infected, it did not stop the black rats from entering the country. It infected Europeans in 1347 due to the siege of the Port of Caffa where the war strategy was for bodies infected with the plague to be catapulted over into Caffa. The disease affected the water supply and the air and gradually residents began to suffer and die. Caffa was defended by residents from...
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...The Black Death One of the most important factors that shaped medieval literature was the Black Death. It left the country barren and desolate, without farmers to provide for the nobles, without monarchs to govern the people, and without officers of the law to prevent crimes. The Black Death crippled the European economy and hierarchy leaving the countries without people educated enough to read and most certainly not educated enough to write. Who knows what literary works would have been written had it not been for the plague and the rate at which it devastated. The Black Death caused, prevented, and interrupted many works of literature. The Black Death, a plague on humanity capable of wiping out one fourth of Europe’s one hundred million people in the course of five years, made its mark between the years 1347 and 1351 (Marks). During that time, three types of plague were to have know to exist: Bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic (Marks). Although bubonic variant of the plague took the most time to kill it was still the most deadly simply due to it being the most widespread of the three (Marks). The bubonic plague got its name from the numerous buboes or cancer like growths that would develop on the victim’s armpit and groin (Marks). Another symptom that accompanied the growths was the presence of a constant fever. The buboes were swelled lymph glands as a result of the body’s lymphatic system trying to fight the disease. Basically, they were pockets of the dead...
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...Black Death The Black Death was a devastation full of effects that led to a new revolution all around Europe. The major impact of Black Death was on the economy of the continent. Due to the shortages of labor, the wages increased to a high level. The population loss in Black Death also led to the prices of common commodities like wheat to decrease as well. With the shortage of labor and limited resources, the industry owners had to enhance their working methods. Therefore, an impact of the Black Death was the emergence of inventions that improved the way of life. Some would argue that this pandemic also lead to unequal distribution of wealth as to those who could grab opportunities went to be richer. Thus another impression of the plague was an increased gap between the rich and the poor. The way of life was enhanced for people around Europe and the women in Europe also went on join the working force. It is no surprise that Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in history. The plague burst out and started off the in winter of 1347-1348. The source of Black Death was traced back to the wild rodents of the steppes of central Asia even as far as Asia or China. Apart from China, some trace its origin back to Kurdistan and Iraq.1 The main concern wasn’t where it started but how it actually spread through the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The plague first appeared in China and reached Crimea in 1346; from there it travelled to Constantinople and Sicily in...
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...The Impact of the Black Death From the point of view of developing a pest and control methods, the 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...
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...The black death (or black plague) had a variety of negative and positive of effects on Europe. The effects on Germany, France, England, Italy, and Norway took place in thirteen forty-six through thirteen fifty-three. The black plague lowered population by causing millions of deaths, destroying the economy, but helping the environment in Europe. This epidemic lasted for three years, had that time double Europe could’ve been completely wiped out and the world as it is today could be nothing. But oddly no one in Europe ever worries about another epidemic like this even though, it could all happen again. By these facts we can see that the black plague had a very negative impact on Europe and the future of the continent. The economy could...
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...Impact of Black Death HIS 103 World Civilizations Donnie Burnette April 4th 2011 The Impact of Black Death Black Death was known by several names such as Black Death, the Bubonic Plague and the Black plague. Regardless of what you call it, it was one of the world’s worst pandemic in history. This plague tore through Europe destroying villages and communities. The immediate impact was fear, chaos, and complete devastation, the long term effect proved to improve economics and societies. Black Death spread through Europe beginning in 1346 and ending in 1353. Seven years of “unexplained” deaths, the plague chose no race, color, age or gender it attacked and killed 50 million people or 60% of the population (Benedictou 2005). Symptoms of the plague began with swollen glands in the neck, armpits, and groin areas. Internal bleeding gave the skin a blackened coloring earning the name “Black Death”. Other symptoms range from red blotching of the skin “rosies” Once bitten these would appear within a couple days and the victim would die within a week. Even a more powerful strain of this plague was the pneumonic plague; this version went directly to the lungs and respiratory systems. Now not only was this spread...
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...Nadiya Clarke Ms. Ritter Rutter English 1 2nd Quarter December 4, 2015 Black Plague’s Impact on Art and Culture The Renaissance was a time of rebirth for all of Europe, but it was also a time of great death and sickness. The black plague affected many aspects of medieval life. Things like art, literature, religion and theater were greatly changed by the occurrence of this epidemic. Through all of the illness and struggle, the people of Europe found a way to carry on with their lives. The black plague had a major impact on the study of medicine. During the time of the plague, the doctors wore plague doctor’s clothing. Their clothing consisted of a black hat, a gas mask shaped like a bird’s beak, a long overcoat, leather pants, and a wooden cane. These clothes protected the doctor, but they helped spread the disease more than they helped treat it. Although the plague may have showcased the problems with medical science in that era, it led to many much needed changes to the field of medicine. The doctors began to pay more attention to “anatomical investigations.” Studying the human body became...
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...Another form of transportation for sickness was steamships. Bubonic plague was carried by “the steamship network that arose in the 1870’s was the vehicle that dispersed the infection around the globe, and did so, once the epidemic broke out in Canton and Hong Kong, with a speed that was limited only by the speed with which a ship could carry its colony of infected rats and fleas to a new port. Speed was obviously decisive in allowing a chain of infection to remain unbroken from port to port.” Often times over longer voyages, the plague could die out within the rats and fleas because the shipmen would become immune to the plague and there would be no persons left aboard that could be a sustainable host for the disease. The ocean was too wide for the plague to be carried from ports of the Mongol...
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...The Black Plague The Black Plague was a pandemic, which reached England in June 1348-December 1349. It was later called “The Black Death” due to it killing around 50 million people. The Black Death has affected not only Europe, but other parts of the world killing many. Almost everyone feared the plague because it could possibly affect many of their lives, losing loved ones. New symbols and art were brought to the surface due to The Black Plague, such as plague doctors and even the famous song “Ring Around the Rosie”. Although there is a cure now it is still around today coming in many forms and types affecting people's daily lives. There are 3 major plagues the Justinian Plague, which was named after the 6th century Justinian emperor,...
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...The Bubonic Plague: A turning point in history The Bubonic Plague, which also goes by other names such as: the Black Death, the Black Plague, the Great Pestilence, is a disease that devastated the medieval world with a 9 out of 10 mortality rate (Vyas). It is so resilient that cases of infection are still being recorded in America today –although in a much milder manner. The plague then killed of almost one-third of Europe’s population, leaving lasting effects wherever it had touched (Bussema and Witowski). This fatal epidemic disease has since changed how we take on such diseases, and modified our tactics on handling epidemics and other contagious diseases. The Black Plague is an infection caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis (originally known as Pasteurella pestis) (Kohn). The name of the bacterium comes from the scientist that discovered it; French bacteriologist, Alexandre Yersin (Tyson). The pestilence has a typical incubation period of two to seven days before the symptoms begin to show. The plague has many symptoms, some of which include: chills, fever, nausea, and painful swelling of the lymph nodes (called buboes –from which the disease is named) that occur in the armpits and neck and groin. Other symptoms of the illness are: red spots on the skin that turned black, the rotting of flesh whilst still living, severe headache, weakness, and vomiting. Yet, most cases were fatal by the third day (Vyas). This disease was transferred from infected animals -most often...
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