Causes, preventions and treatments of the Black Death: Medicine stands still, c1000-1500: History: GCSE (9:1)

The Black Death (1348-49)

The deadliest pandemic in History, thought to have killed 75-200m people worldwide. In England it killed approximately 1/3 of the people in the countryside and upto 1/2 people in towns

Actual cause: Bad harvests in 1347/48

The public wasn't as strong due to malnourishment, meaning they were more likely to catch it or get terrible symptoms

Actual cause: Trade routes

The trade ships carried the disease from places like China which already had Black Death. Rats and people from the ships and possibly cargo carried germs.

Actual cause: Bubonic plague strains

The most common version of the plague. Spread by fleas carrying the bacteria from rats to humans

Buboes

Huge blisters, full of puss, that formed around the glands of the infected people (armpits, crotch, under neck and elsewhere)

Actual cause: Pneumonic plague

An airbourne version of the same disease which was even more deadly and killed in less than 3 days. Around at the same time

Ideas about cause: Religion

God's punishment for the world's sins. There was a huge earthquake in China in 1347 and many thought that was a punishment from God. Also, many questioned their own sins.

Ideas about cause: Astrology

3 years before Black Death there was unusual alignment of planets. Believed to be a sign on something wonderful or terrible to happen

Ideas about cause: Miasma

Bad miasma coming from the fumes from volcanic eruptions.

Ideas about cause: The Jews

Many blamed Jewish people, accusing them of poisoning water supplies. Anti-Semitism in an earlier form.

Prevention: Religous

The Church told people to pray regularly. Some people wandered around the streets in groups whipping themselves (known as self-flagellation.)

Prevention: Escaping

Many people escaped the plague and got as far away from it as possible. However, often they had been infected but were not ill so they spread the disease to where they moved to.

Prevention: Miasma

People carried posies or fragrant herbs to drive away the bad airs. The theory was they were breathing in good air and not bad air.

Prevention: Quarantine

Local governments tried to quarantine (isolate) infected houses. It didn't work because they couldn't enforce it and the Church insisted that people still attended Church.

Prevention: Effective measures

Clean the streets more (as ordered by Edward III in London), avoid those with the plague already and don't have too much sex (they thought the excitement would give you the Black Death, but it was more likely prostitutes and contact with many men)

Treatments: Religious

Asking God for forgiveness through prayer or confessing your sins. Many prayed, made donations to the Church and tried doing more good deeds

Treatments: 4 Humours

At the beginning of outbreak physicians tried normal treatments but these didn't help. People then turned to religious or radical treatments.

Treatments: Herbal Remedies

Strong smelling herbs, like aloe myrrh believed to have cleansing properties. Apothecaries sold remedies but many of them were mixed at home and made into posies

Treatments: Miasma

People believed lighting a fire or boiling vinegar would drive of the bad air on sick people.

Treatments: Surgery

Sometimes barber surgeons would lance (cut open) the buboes, squeezing out all of the pus. Occasionally this helped the victim survive.