Bubonic Plague and the Middle Ages The Black Death Bubonic Plague and the Middle Ages

Triumph of Death painted c. 1562 by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It currently hangs in the Museo del Prado, Madrid.

 The Black Death was one of the worst natural disasters in history. In 1347 A.D., a great plague swept over Europe and ravaged cities causing  widespread  hysteria and death. One third of the population of Europe died. The primary culprits in transmitting this disease were Oriental Rat Fleas carried on the back of black rats.

The Black Death, 1348

Dead littered the streets everywhere. Cattle and livestock roamed the country unattended. Brother deserted brother.

The Plague occurred in 3 Forms D e a t h The Plague occurred in 3 Forms PNEUMONIC PHASE Attacked the Lungs Caused fierce coughing & sneezing fits Chest pain, Bloody sputum SEPTICEMIC PHASE Rarest and Deadliest Traveled thru bloodstream Black spots beneath skin Victims choked on own blood, Excruciating Pain! BUBONIC PHASE Most Common Egg-sized swellings (buboes) Neck, armpits, groin (dark blisters) Headaches, Weakness, Nausea/Vomiting Severe Fever and Delirium

Myth or Fact? (Song) Ring around the rosie, A pocket full of posies, Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down!

Ring around the rosy: rosary beads give you God's help. A pocket full of posies: used to stop the odor of rotting bodies which was at one point thought to cause the plague, it was also used widely by doctors to protect them from the infected plague patients. Ashes, ashes: the church burned the dead when burying them became to laborious. We all fall down: dead.

HARVEST OF DEATH DEPICTION OF THE PLUBONIC PLAGUE

WHY? Ignorance Surrounded Cause and Cure Europeans were Frantic Blames Alignment of Planets Infected Clothing, Humans God’s Wrath aimed at Sin Jews Cures/Remedies Pomanders Mixture of Molasses & Chopped Snake Repentance Flagellants

The Flagellant Brahren Singing hymns and sobbing, the men beat themselves with scourges studded with iron spikes. Blood gushes from their many wounds, and the spikes embed themselves in the torn flesh. The ritual is performed in public twice each day. Such exhibitions are highly influential. The establishment may focus their attacks on church corruption and their promotion of a wave of savage anti-Semitism, but the masses worship the flagellants as living martyrs. Their deeds are to be admired and their commands to be carried out. Many Followers massacred Jews believing they had poisoned society.

The burning of Jews in 1349 (from a European chronicle written on the Black Death between 1349 and 1352)

Black Death Carried by Ships throughout Europe Rats infested the goods on board

Origins Originated in Mongolia’s Gobi desert Moved along the Silk Road to Black Sea Bacteria carried by fleas, lived on black rats Major trade/commercial cities were good hosts Sicily in 1347, England 1348, culminating in Russia 1352 Unstoppable Force “Victims ate lunch with their friends and dinner with their ancestors in paradise."

Emperor, your sword won’t help you out Her keyser euch hilft nicht das swert Czeptir vnd crone sint hy nicht wert Ich habe euch bey der hand genomen Ir must an meynen reyen komen Emperor, your sword won’t help you out Sceptre and crown are worthless here I’ve taken you by the hand For you must come to my dance At the bottom end of the Totentanz Death calls e.g. the peasant to dance and he answers: Ich habe gehabt [vil arbeit gross] Der sweis mir du[rch die haut floss] Noch wolde ich ger[n dem tod empfliehen] Zo habe ich des glu[cks nit hie] I had to work very much and very hard The sweat was running down my skin I’d like to escape death nontheless But here I won’t have any luck Michael Wolgemut

Effect on Europe Civilization

Effects of the Black Death on Europe 1/3 of the population of Europe died. In all, 2.5 million people died from the plague. Art, science, and literature stopped being created. People were only worried about their survival.

25 million people died in just under five years between 1347 and 1352. DISASTER STRIKES Estimated population of Europe from 1000 to 1352. 1000 38 million 1100 48 million 1200 59 million 1300 70 million 1347 75 million 1352 50 million 25 million people died in just under five years between 1347 and 1352.

THE TRUE CAUSE OF THE PLAGUE The Swiss scientist Alexandre Yersin discovered the true cause of plague. The bubonic plague, an infectious disease, are caused by microbes that invade the human body. The microbes that cause the plague are a type of bacteria known as the Yersinia pestis. The bubonic plague, however, does not start in humans. Instead it infects only rats and cannot be spread directly from rats to humans. Fleas, which live on the rats for food, abandon the rat when the rat dies. If these fleas then find a human the, Yersinia pestis is injected into the bloodstream. Then the disease can spread from man to man.

The Rat Flea Fleas are blood sucking parasites. They have the potential of spreading dangerous diseases to humans and other animals.

How it was Transmitted                                                                                                                                            Yersinia pestis seen at 2000x magnification. This bacterium, carried and spread by fleas, is the cause of the various forms of the disease plague

Flea which carries the yersinia pestis

Bubonic plague The bubonic plague was the most commonly seen form of the Black Death. The mortality rate was 30-75%. The symptoms were enlarged and inflamed lymph nodes (around arm pits, neck and groin). Victims were subject to headaches, nausea, aching joints, fever of 101-105 degrees, vomiting, and a general feeling of illness. Symptoms took from 1-7 days to appear.

History of Plague Justinian’s Plague (541-542) killed ¼ pop. of Mediterranean 6th & 8th C. breakouts 16th, 17th, 18th C. Pandemics Italian, London, Vienna, Marseilles, Russia 3rd Pandemic (Asian Plague) – 19th, 20th C. ~15 million dead (India, China, Russia) Biological Weapon (Japanese, WWII) Looked at Medieval Styles of Catapulting Infected Bodies into Castles Released Infected Fleas in China, Manchuria Studied Live Subject, Dissecting What Next?

SYMPTOMS ~painful swellings called buboes which commonly  appeared in armpits  and groin area ~dark blisters and purple blotches appeared on skin ~fever ~severe headaches ~increasing weakness SYMPTOMS

Pneumonic Plague The pneumonic plague was the second most commonly seen form of the Black Death. The mortality rate for the pneumonic plague was 90-95% (if treated today the mortality rate would be 5-10%). The pneumonic plague infected the lungs. Symptoms included slimy sputum tinted with blood. Sputum is saliva mixed with mucus exerted from the respiratory system. As the disease progressed, the sputum became free flowing and bright red. Symptoms took 1-7 days to appear.

The septicemic plague was the most rare form of all The septicemic plague was the most rare form of all. The mortality was close to 100% (even today there is no treatment). Symptoms were a high fever and skin turning deep shades of purple. The black death got its name from the “deep purple, almost black discoloration." Victims usually died the same day symptoms appeared. In some cities, as many as 800 people died every day. The Septicemic Plague