The Black Death: The Plague Of Justinian

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ORIGIN
The Black Death arrived in Europe by sea in October 1347 when 12 Genoese trading ships docked at the Sicilian port of Messina after a long journey through the Black Sea. Most of the sailors aboard, was dead and those who were alive were extremely ill. Blood and pus seeped out of these strange black boils, which were followed by a host of other unpleasant symptoms–fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, terrible aches and pains–and then, in short order, death. The Sicilian authorities demanded the "death ships" out of the harbor but it was too late. Over the next five years, the Black Death killed almost 1/3 of the population in Europe, more than 200 million people. Unfortunately, nothing prepared Europe for the Black Death. Those who were …show more content…
Back then, rats used to live among us.
Some medieval doctors believed bad smells would drive away the plague, and treated their patients with feces and urine. Needless to say, this did more harm than good.
After the plague, it took Europe's population 150 years to recover.
Bathing was discouraged during the plague because people thought it opened the pores of the disease. The Black Death wasn't Europe's first plague. The Plague of Justinian occurred in the 6th century, but killed a mere 50 million people.
Because death was so prevalent, the European people became obsessed about it and about salvation. They thought that perhaps God was punishing them for their sins, and marched around in these processions carrying huge heavy crosses on their backs or whipping themselves to repent. A lot of serfs, or peasants, died, and therefore the general power of the serf over his Lord was increased. Serfs became to have a lot more freedom because of the shortage of labor, and they were able to demand more, and even obtain their freedom. They lost their faith in …show more content…
Breaking out in ‘the east’, as medieval people put it, it came north and west after striking the eastern Mediterranean and Italy, Spain and France. It then came to Britain, where it struck Dorset and Hampshire along the south coast of England simultaneously. It then spread north and east, then on to Scandinavia and Russia.
SYMPTOMS
Before: They were perfectly healthy. The symptoms upon receiving the Bubonic plague include painful and enlarged lymph nodes, chills, headache, fever, and weakness.
During: Septicemic plague (Black Death or Black Plague) symptoms and signs include fever, weakness, abdominal pain, chills, and shock. People who are bitten by infected fleas generally develop the bubonic form of the plague. However, if the bacteria reaches the lungs, it can develop into pneumonic plague and can be spread via person to person by coughing. Tissue bleeding and death may cause the dying tissues to appear black.
After: A corpse could not transmit the disease to another living being unless that person had been in contact with a lymph node, respiratory tissue or bodily secretion soon after the death.
CURES
Cooked
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