The Black Death Plague

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Before the turmoil that occurred due to the Black Death, Europe had a population spike from 38 million to 74 million. The Continent seemed to be in a state of growth in agriculture and social structure. Cities began rising with farmers, artisans, and other craftspeople that specialized in their field of work. The Black Death was the most devastating pandemic in human history, 30-75% of the population that contracted the disease died. The disease was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which is often carried around by fleas that live on rodents. Scientists in 14th century London, England say that the plague was airborne and that rats had little to do with the spread of it. Medieval doctors believed that the plague had several causes. …show more content…

Lancing the buboes was a common way of trying to treat the disease as well. The swellings that were caused by the Black Death were hard, painful, burning pus-filled lumps that often occured on the neck, inner thighs, and under the arms. These swellings were cut open to let the disease release from the body. Then a mixture of tree resin, roots of white lilies, and dried human excrement were applied to the areas where the cuts were made. Another common treatment was to cut open the veins leading the heart because the Black Death is in the blood. Many healers thought that by cutting the veins open the disease would be released from the body as …show more content…

When people contracted the Black Death there were many remedies that physicians tried to cure the sick. These remedies include lancing the beobus, vinegar and water treatments, and even witchcraft. There are more realistic options to treating the plague today. These options are a wide variety of antibiotics that include: Streptomycin, Chloramphenicol, Tetracyclines, and Ciprofloxacin. Sanitation has also improved since the outbreak of the Black Death. There were many consequences that resulted from the Black Death some negative and others positive. The positive influences of the disease include wage increases, a higher standard of living, the end of feudalism, humanism which is the questioning of one’s worth. This lead to the appreciation of the arts and physical sciences. Another positive of the Black Death was that medicine evolved. Anatomy and surgery became parts of the medical program in universities. Medicine went from being a philosophy to a practical physical

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