Our textbook, Ways of the World by Robert Strayer, states that the “era of intensified interaction facilitated the spread of the Black Death – identified variously with the bubonic plague, anthrax, or a package of epidemic diseases – from China to Europe.” The plague quickly spread throughout Europe, devastating the populations of the nations. On a website, Medicine Net, they say that the 1300s Black Death “killed approximately one-third (20-30 million) of Europe’s population.”
Oriental rat fleas from infected rats were the means of transportation for the plague. However, this is not the only reason that it spread at such high rates; living conditions during the Middle Ages were not the best, just as the disposal of bodies was not the sanitary. Therefore, due to the improper disposal of the infected deceased, the plague was able to spread to the greater public. TheMedicine Net website lists the symptoms that the people would have faced as “bleeding below the skin which darkened (“blackened”) their bodies” hence the nickname the Black Death, and it was “characterized by gangrene of the fingers, toes, and nose.”
In addition, because the plague also infected the farmers, there were great food shortages for those left uninfected by the plague. There was no one to harvest the crops, so whole crops were lost. However, according to the Strayer text, “some among the living benefited. Tenant farmers and urban workers, now in short supply, could demand higher wages or better terms.” Thus, following the epidemic, people faced inflated prices for common necessities.
Although the new trade routes created cross-cultural trade of goods and religions, they also traded diseases. These were diseases that people were not prepared for, and yet the trading continued and still continues to this day.
*Fun Fact* - some believe that the nursery rhyme "Ring around the Rosie" refers to the Black Plague
"Ring around the Rosie" - red sores on the body - first signs of infection
"Pocket full of Posies" - some used herbs, flowers etc. to show others they were infected, so people could stay away
"Ashes Ashes" - the bodies of the infected were burned after death
"We all Fall down" - it was believed that the Black Death was the end of the world.
- However interesting this may sound, it is not proven, only a myth -
Works Cited - http://www.medicinenet.com/plague/article.htm, Ways of the World by Robert W. Strayer, image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/The_Plague%2C_1898.jpg/419px-The_Plague%2C_1898.jpg (found through Creative commons)
The picture at the beginning of the post was excellent! There was something just unnerving about it, but it really spoke to the plague times. I had always heard that "Ring Around the Rosie" related to the plague, but I have never see it broken down like that. It's fascinating to think that a childrens rhyme is so morbid and has persisted to current day. (I remember singing the song and falling down on the elementary school playground.) It just shows how much of an impact disease can have on society.
ReplyDeleteI know, it was a creepy picture. It took me forever to find a good picture off of the creative commons website.
ReplyDeleteI first learned about the "Ring around the Rosie" relation in a high school history class. Though there is an extreme connection between the two, many people also argue this relation between the two, stating that it is only a "Mother Goose" nursery ryme. I guess we will never know...
That picture is so scary! It really portrays the morbidity of the Black Death. I was taking a look at some of the links in your post and came across a great map showing the progression of the plauge that really puts into perspective how fast the sickness spread(http://z.about.com/d/historymedren/1/0/-/9/msBD1.gif). Although the Black Death was definately something to be scared of in its time, the picture you used reminded me of this comical representation of swine flu (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZxKAf8oOwtI/SfhV0M_9knI/AAAAAAAAa1w/PcmSEytWitY/s400/swine_fluC500.jpg).
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone else-the picture is creepy! I thought it was really sad that one third of the population died from the Black Plague. I remember learning about it my European History class and the professor also said that they carried herbs to keep "good air" around them. They believed "bad air" surrounded sick people and was a reason people became sick so they used the herbs to protect themselves.
ReplyDeleteThat picture is amazing. It really helps portray that people of the time thought it was the apocalyspe. And the explanation of the Ring aroud the rosie ryme makes so much sense explained like that even if it isnt true i had never thought about the words of the song and tried to figure out what they could possibly mean.
ReplyDeleteKristin - I also heard that they carried the herbs for the good air, and smell also...it's interesting how much we really don't know about the "Black Death."
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