THE BLACK DEATH
Initial progress of the disease occurred in Messina, in October 1347 when the twelve Genoese galleys entered the harbor of Messina. The infection spread to everyone who spoke to them and in no manner was driven to death. The infected got severe pain in throughout their body and vomiting of blood. They lost their speech. People began to hate each other even father hated his infected son. The pet animals in the even followed the affected to death. The relatives did not dare even to bury their beloved with the fear of getting the disease and the servants with huge wages would bury the corpse. The houses were left empty with the jewels, valuable and the people fled to live in the fields and many sought refuge in the town of Catania.
Black Death is classified into specific types of plague such as bubonic plague (infection in the lymph nodes), pneumonic plague (infection in the lungs) and septicemia plague. Bubonic plague is caused by a bacillus Yersinia pestis usually carried by ground rodents such as black rat (scientific name Rattus rattus). This bacillus is spread by flea called Xenopsylla cheopis which are blood sucking parasites. This flea sucks the bacteria containing blood of the rodents. The bacteria block the stomach of the flea which turns them hungry. The starved flea which is very hungry starts voraciously biting the host for example human beings. When the flea bites the host, the blood from the flea oozes out into the host. The flea is finally starved to death. The rat, flea and the human being dies. According to some research the human being affected by bubonic plague said to die within 3 to 7 days from the day of infection. The pneumonic plague showed the symptoms such as fever cough and blood sputum. It was also commonly seen a form of plague during Black Death. HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiSepticemic_plague o Septicemic plague Septicemic plague was the least common and included the symptoms such as high fevers and purple skin patches.
The term bubonic refers to characteristic bubo or enlarged lymphatic gland. The symptoms are the victims are headache, nausea, aching joints, 101-105 degree fever, illness and vomiting of blood. The symptoms include slimy sputum tinted with blood. The sputum is mixture of saliva and mucus exerted form the respiratory system. As the disease progressed the saliva became free flowing and bright red. Protrudes swell and become black in color and this gives the disease the name Black Death. The mortality rate was 90-95.
There were several flagellants who were considered as divine anger and so they wandered through the cities doing penance. They killed Jews whom they encountered and the clergymen who spoke against them. The description of flagellants is given in Jean de Venette as While the plague was still active and spreading from town to town, men in Germany, Flanders, Hainault and Lorraine up rose and began a new sect on their own authority. Stripped to the waist, they gathered in large groups and bands and marched in procession through the crossroads and squares of cities and good towns. They formed circles and beat upon their backs with weighted scourges, rejoicing as they did so in loud voices and singing hymns suitable to their rite and newly composed for it. Thus, for 33 days they marched through many towns doing penance and affording a great spectacle to the wondering people. They flogged their shoulders and arms, scourged with iron points so zealously as to draw blood. The second description the medieval historian Jean Froissart, from his history of the Hundred Years War the penitents went about, coming first out of Germany. They were men who did public penance and scourged themselves with whips of hard knotted leather with little iron spikes. Some made them bleed very badly between the shoulder blades and some foolish women had cloths ready to catch the blood and smear it on their eyes, saying it was miraculous blood. While they were doing penance, they sang very mournful songs about nativity and the passion of Our Lord. The object of this penance was to put a stop to the mortality, for in that time . . . at least a third of all the people in the world died.
Efforts were made by the government to prevent the disease the disease spread so quickly that before the government tried to learn about its origin, half the population was affected. It spread quickly in the crowded cities and the people in the isolated places were less prone to the disease. People taught it may be some astrological force or many believed it may be Gods anger that is creating such horrific displays. The medical workers themselves prevented from treating the affected with the fear of getting the disease themselves. There was bad vapor of the dead and the people turned to scents such as lemon leaves, rosemary, camphor, pine etc. People covered their nose with hand kerchief dipped in aromatic oils while going out. The recommended steps include no eating of poultry, no cooking food from rain water, no eating of fish, exercising a lot is danger, no bathing, no olive should be used etc. The other best ways to avoid plague was to top thinking about death, nothing which will distress the mind should be thought instead one should think about beautiful landscape, gardens, aromatic plants, listening to melodious and beautiful songs etc.
There was severe effect on the economic, political, cultural facets. There was about one of the population loss in Europe. In the period of two years one out of every three was dead resulting in the heavy reduction of population. About 45 to 75 of people died in Florence. About 60 died in Venice. Professionals such as doctors, clergies and artistic and skilled laborers such as tradesman and the peasants died in large numbers and there was no means to replace them. As a result there was noticeable labor shortage and the heavy tax imposed on the survivors caused considerable strain between peasants and landowners. This lead to peasants revolt in 1381. There was huge economic disruption. The financial institutions were lead to chaos as debtors died and there was no one to recover debts or collect from. All the projects such as construction projects stopped and guilds lost their craftsmen.
There were several political effects. The King Alfonso XI of Castile was the only monarch to die of plague. Lesser number of notables died, the parliaments were adjourned. Many number of soldiers died. The city courts were closed which effected law and order.
They targeted Jews as cause for the crisis. It had many cultural effects as it hit the church, priest died and no one was there to hear confession. Many bishops died and their successors too died of plague. The community scholars suffered as the schools and universities were closed. There was lots of change in the art and one of the examples is great lord was buried in sarcophagus the body was in coffin and with half decomposed clothes but previously these sculptures were like lord in his armor with his sword and shield.
Black Death was a severe pandemic in the human history which made the 14th century miserable for Europe. It affected all the facets of medieval European civilization and many areas of Europe went into depression and there was great famine. It occurred in England in 1600 and again haunted Europe and Mediterranean region in 17th century but as not as severe as in 1300. The bubonic plague still exists in the world.
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