Black Death - Background

sufferer - exhaustion- headaches+ high temperature

             - big swellings in groin armpits or neck called buboes - gave disease name

              deaths  a week after infected.

• Plague turned into pneumonic plague -is far more deadly - this attacks lungs making it difficult & painful t breathe.coughing up blood .
• pneumonic plague kill victims within 2 days

Council Action

IN london emergency measures introduced- a law to clean the streets.

but most poeple thought BD was caused by god , planets , or bad air.-so they tried everything they could t cure it . 

A judgement fron GOD

CAUSED BY THE PLANETS

Caused by foul air

people to blame such as jews  or nobility

end of world was near signs of Armageddon

some tried to appease the Wrath of god by becoming FLAGGELLANTS WHIPPING THEMSELVES & PRAYING

Very brave person to help someone with the disease

doctors / clergymen tried to help - took precautions

1 srong smelling herbs- counter act foul air

2 all-over suits worn filter out germs airbourne - barrrier against flies

Actions to cure - herbal mixtures-whipping themselves-avoiding strangers -cleaning streets

ships

made to wait 40 days before landing - quarantine comes from quaranta ( italian word )

meaning 40

medievel europe was faced with something it didnt understand & helpless to prevent

they didnt have the understanding of the cause - not many lessons learnt & plague returned later

After collapse of roman empire much western Europe no longer had strong government .

CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS POWERFUL - people thought god caused disesace GALENS - ideas was accepted as his ideas did not rule out god -noone cud critise him & few studied him .in detail.

monarchs were beleived to be sent by god therefore had pow-er from him who cud cure them scrofula or the kings evil .

Dissection not accepted- as wud prevent a person going to heaven - progression in anatomy physiololgy & surgury limited

blood letting , testing urine samples-use herbs popular

DISEASE WAS SUPERNATURAL - if god caused it then nothing practical cud be done about it

• -Worst of reappearances of black death
• Death Toll in London 100,000
• many fled from city
• efforts were made to control the spread
• householders of BD were locked in & red crossess were painted on their  doors "LORD HAVE MERCY UPON US "
• CARTS organised by authorities roamed the city infamouse crys "bring out your dead "collecting corpses for mas buriel in plague pits  .such measures showed people realised that the disesace was contagious - but still didnt understand the GERMS
• Doctors clergymen chemists & priests were worst affected than average as they went to help the sick .
• GREAT FIRE OF LONDON 1666 EFFECTIVELY STERILISED LARGE PARTS OF LIONDON KILLING PLAGUE BACTERIA