History - Middle ages(Medival)

Poor ate pottage, (a thick soup with vegetables)

peasants grew their own vegetables and sourced their own food. Eg. Fishing, nuts, honey,eggs and milk and cheese. They therefore has a healthy diet

A fire for cooking and animals in homes kept people warm.

Floor was covered with rushes or straw which was regularly cleaned and replaced. 

water was collected from river or wells, each village had own well.

Human waste was collected and put on fields to make the soils richer, which meant more crops.

If there was a bad harvest, many would die. 10% of the population died during the 1315-16 great famine. The bodies were also weakned if not had enough to eat, causing them to be more prone to disease. 

Animals pollited rivers and streams. Water could also be dirty causing disease and death. Therefore, people drank cider, mead and ale.

Houses had thatched roofs, which were infested with rats and mice, which could carry diseases. 

Smoke from inside the houses caused lung problems and there was waste from animals in the houses, causing diseases. 

There was a rubbish heap in gardens (middens) whihc caused dirt, germs and disease.

poor ate pottage

many towns had a conduit, giving free fresh water to townspeople. THe water came through pipes from the countryside

a gongfermer would scoop out the waste from cesspits and take it away on a cart at night

there were public latrines in markets

towns were crowded and houses were close together. THatched roofs carried mice, rats and insects which spread diseases.

Human waste was the biggest problem. Waste dropped into cesspits whihc could leak into houses and nearby water sources, causing diseases and death. 

The rich ate lots of meat which is unhealthy. Street sellers sometimes sold rancid meat. making people ill. Drunkness was a problem.

lots of pollution due to traders. Butchers had to cut up their animals on the outskirts of town.

By the end of the middle ages, most towns had conduits, which gave free fresh water to townspeople. 

By 1500, most towns had rakers which cleaned tbe streets and took the rubbish outside town walls

People were fined if rubbish was left outside homes for more than 4 days.

By 1500, most towns made butchers cut up their animals on the outskirts of town.

Actual Cause:

Germs in blood of rats

fleas fed on rats blood then passed on to people.

Religious beliefs: God caused the black death and was punishing people.

Ancient beliefs: Miasms, could be caught by looking at a victim in the eye. 

responses: posies of flowers/burning sweet smelling plants to clean the air, burnt barrels of tar, turned heads away from victims.

It travelled 500 mies in 50 days

killed 60% population (3.5 mil)

priests some stayed and looked after sick, some were scared to visit the sick and some ran away from their parish

King told the mayor of London to clean filth off the streets. Didnt pass any laws to stop the spread.

wealthy ran away to countryside to find pure air, avoided contact with the sick

poor had nowhere to run and were trapped, shut themselves in their houses and threw waste onto streets.