responses to the Black Death

Diseases and illnesses spread quickly in the MIddle Ages, and were often devastating, but none were as bad as the plague.

It began in Asia and spread to Europe through trade routes.

It was spread by fleas living on rats, unbeknownst to Medieval people.

Took three different forms: Bubonic plague, Septicaemic Plague and Pneumonic plague.

Bubonic- swelling buboes in armpits and groin, fever, death within days.

Septicaemic- bleeding, diarrhoea and vomiting, fingers,toes and nose turn black

pneumonic- coughing blood chest pains, trouble breathing.

They thought it was:

a punishment fron God

unusual movements of the planets

miasma, an invisible poison in the air, bad smells

imbalance of humours

There were some treatments tried, but none were successful because they didnt understand the disease, e.g. live toads or chickens on the buboes to draw out the disease, or blood letting to balance the homours.

People tried to protect themselves by:

- purifying the air with rosemary, miasma

- running away from towns to the countryside to find clean air, it they could afford it

- attending church and confessing sins too ask for forgivness

- shutting themselves away in their own homes to avoid contact with oter people

- some householder forced lodgers to leave if they showed signs of the disease

- flagellants whipped themselves hoping for God's forgiveness