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Krista Sperry
Mr. Dunnington
Global Studies
1-2-05
The Bubonic Plague
The bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, led to many social changes in Europe. The Black Death was one of the worlds worst natural disasters. It all started in 1347 when the bubonic plague was spread all across Europe killing one third of the population.
The bubonic plague was transmitted in two ways, one which was fleas. The fleas carried a bacteria called Yersinia pestis which multiples in a fleas stomach and makes the flea very hungry. (Cartwright) After the flea becomes hungry it begins to bite the person or animal that it is located on many times and during the biting the flea is transmitting its infected blood into the person or animals blood. (Cartwright) After the bacteria enters the person or animals body it causes them to fall deathly ill and eventually die. The other way of transition is from airborne droplets of saliva from a person infected with the plague hitting another person. (Cartwright)
The symptoms of the bubonic plague were noticeable two to seven days after the person had been infected with the plague. (Wikipedia) Some of the initial symptoms were chills, fever, headaches, convulsions, and the formation of buboes. (New Standard Encyclopedia) The buboes are formed by the infection of lymph nodes, and if the were left unchecked they could infect the persons bloodstream and infect their lungs. (Streissguth)
The outcome of a person being infected with the bubonic plague was usually death but there were some other alternatives. The treatment could sometimes be cured if it was treated
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early on with antibiotics. (New Standard Encyclopedia) The plague could also be prevented by a vaccination. (New Standard Encyclopedia)
After the Black Death had so many effects on Europe one of them being the population. The Black Death led to Europe losing one third of its population and left the remaining people weak. All that the remaining population could do after the Black Death was bury there loved ones and other people because there were bodies laying all over the place. The remaining population had to dig deep pits and lay the bodies one on top of another because they didnt have enough room to bury them all separately. (Benedictow)
"Neither physicians nor medicines were effective. Whether because these illnesses were previously unknown or because physicians had not previously studied them, there seemed to be no cure. There was such a fear that no one seemed to know what to do. When it took hold in a house it often happened that no one remained who had not died. And it was not just that men and women died, but even sentient animals died. Dogs, cats, chickens, oxen, donkeys sheep showed the same symptoms and died of the same disease. And almost none, or very few, who showed these symptoms, were cured. The symptoms were the following: a bubo in the groin, where the thigh meets the trunk; or a small swelling under the armpit; sudden fever; spitting blood and saliva (and no one who spit blood survived it). It was such a frightful thing that when it got into a house, as was said, no one remained. Frightened people abandoned the house and fled to another."
-Marchione di Stefani (Cartwright)
The Black Death also had a effect on the art in Europe. The carvings people made were changed, on coffins people carved pictures on the lids that showed the person who was in the coffin dressed and looking their best, when before the plague the coffin lids were left blank. (McNeill) Sculptures were also changed, some people made sculptures snails, worms, and other insects eating away at the people who had been infected with the plague. (McNeill) Also in the peoples paintings it showed pictures of people talking to skeletons, and pictures of dead and sad people. (McNeill)
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In Europe the Black Death also effected the children. They came up with the nursery rhyme ring a-round the rosy. (Corzine) Rosy meant the rosary beads that give you Gods help, a pocket full of posies meant that the people would but posies in the pockets of the dead people to help the smell, ashes, ashes meant that the church was burning the dead bodies to make room for more, and we all fall down meant death. (Corzine) The children were exposed to things such as public nudity, and death. (Corzine) The children had to watch their loved ones pass away and there was nothing that anyone could do to help them. Children that were girls were more unfortunate then the boys because parents would leave the girls to die and take the boys so that he could carry on the family name. (Corzine)
The Economy was also greatly effected by the Black Death because when it ended and Europe was left with a smaller population it meant that there would be less taxes.