Black Plague Research Paper
"By turning the world upside-down, the black death helped pave way for the new" (Giblin 44). There were many names for the Black Death including The Great Pestilence, The Great Plague, The Great Mortality, The Death, and The Black Plague. Genoan ships are thought to have brought the disease from Kaffa (Dunn 26). The bacteria first infected the black rats and transmitted the infection to humans by fleabites (Bagley 100). Once people are infected, they infect others very rapidly. Plague causes fever and a painful swelling of the lymph glands called buboes, which is how it gets its name (101). The symptoms of the plague were swelling in the groin of under the armpit, which grew to the size of a small apple or egg, also known as tumors. The tumors
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They were able to run from the estates they had been bound to since birth. They were able to choose to live free or bargain for better pay because of the labor shortage. Some serfs went to other towns, such as London, in hope of learning a new trade and making a better life for themselves. Because of the opportunities given to the poor, the gap between the working men and higher clergymen began to close, therefore developing the middle class (Bagley 159).
Two hundred years before the plaque struck population increased rapidly and the problem of over population seemed inevitable (159). The supply of grain, meat, and wool did not keep up with the high demand. Labor became scare and extremely valuable. Farm owners began selling freedom to workers in exchange for labor. Although devastating, the plague helped correct over population. More than one-third of England's population died between 1348 and 1351. During the worst time of the plague 200 bodies were buried a day at Smithfield Cemetery …show more content…
The survivors of the plague became distraught by the church's inability to explain the plague and why it occurred. This accelerated the decline of the power of the church and set the stage for the Reformation.
The plague also fueled advances in medicine. During the Black Death people and physicians thought it was caused by an unfavorable alignment of planets (75). Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch were the first to discover that rats played a key role in transmitting the disease (Giblin 50). Pasteur discovered that harmful bacteria could produce disease (50). Koch discovered the specific bacteria that caused anthrax and tuberculosis (50). The use of streptomycin reduced the death rate by 5% in 1940s.
Claudius Galen's theories of arteries carrying blood instead of air and illness was caused by an imbalance in the body pushed the practice of medicine. Many students took anatomy and surgery classes of University of Paris (Giblin 44). They dissected bodies and for the first time medical textbooks were printed in English, French, and Italian rather than Latin (44). This allowed medical research and information to be available to the average
They were able to run from the estates they had been bound to since birth. They were able to choose to live free or bargain for better pay because of the labor shortage. Some serfs went to other towns, such as London, in hope of learning a new trade and making a better life for themselves. Because of the opportunities given to the poor, the gap between the working men and higher clergymen began to close, therefore developing the middle class (Bagley 159).
Two hundred years before the plaque struck population increased rapidly and the problem of over population seemed inevitable (159). The supply of grain, meat, and wool did not keep up with the high demand. Labor became scare and extremely valuable. Farm owners began selling freedom to workers in exchange for labor. Although devastating, the plague helped correct over population. More than one-third of England's population died between 1348 and 1351. During the worst time of the plague 200 bodies were buried a day at Smithfield Cemetery …show more content…
The survivors of the plague became distraught by the church's inability to explain the plague and why it occurred. This accelerated the decline of the power of the church and set the stage for the Reformation.
The plague also fueled advances in medicine. During the Black Death people and physicians thought it was caused by an unfavorable alignment of planets (75). Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch were the first to discover that rats played a key role in transmitting the disease (Giblin 50). Pasteur discovered that harmful bacteria could produce disease (50). Koch discovered the specific bacteria that caused anthrax and tuberculosis (50). The use of streptomycin reduced the death rate by 5% in 1940s.
Claudius Galen's theories of arteries carrying blood instead of air and illness was caused by an imbalance in the body pushed the practice of medicine. Many students took anatomy and surgery classes of University of Paris (Giblin 44). They dissected bodies and for the first time medical textbooks were printed in English, French, and Italian rather than Latin (44). This allowed medical research and information to be available to the average