The Bubonic Plague Disease
The Bubonic Plague
In Europe during the late 1340s, almost 25 million people died. During the Great Plague of London in the 1660s, one in every five people died. This was all caused by one deadly disease, the Bubonic Plague (National Geographic). The Bubonic Plague attacks a body system called the immune system. This disease’s structure and function cause this body system to malfunction and will also cause many awful problems and symptoms in the body. Imagine what it would be like if an outbreak of this devastating disease were to occur in the United States today.
The Bubonic Plague is a disease that attacks the immune system, which is the body system that rights diseases. When an infection enters the body there are several lines of defense …show more content…
Some of the early symptoms include: vomiting, shivering, intolerance to light, back and limb pain, headaches, and a white coating on the tongue. Black, blood and pus filled swellings can even develop under the armpit and in the groin. These swellings are called buboes, this is how the disease Bubonic Plague got its name. Black patches on the skin caused by internal bleeding can also appear, this can lead to death in three to five days. If this disease is left untreated it can be extremely deadly. However, if it is treated it often leads a person to full recovery and no further infections return. Some ways to treat the Bubonic Plague include using antibodies such as tetracycline or sulfonamide; these are commonly used as a precaution for people that could potentially be exposed to the bacteria. Vaccines are also available, however they are mostly reserved for people with a high risk of getting this disease. These people include soldiers or someone traveling to an area where an outbreak is occurring or could occur. Another method still used today is quarantine. When someone is infected putting them in quarantine prevents the disease from spreading to others. Although, methods like these weren’t always around, in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries they had some very different theories. For example, in the fourteenth century they thought that ways to treat the disease included bathing in human urine, wearing feces, having a dead animal in the home, and drinking a mixture of molten gold and crushed emeralds. Another example is, in the fifteenth century people believed that a way to prevent the disease was to make incoming ships anchor offshore for 40 days before anyone or anything could get off (World of Microbiology and
In Europe during the late 1340s, almost 25 million people died. During the Great Plague of London in the 1660s, one in every five people died. This was all caused by one deadly disease, the Bubonic Plague (National Geographic). The Bubonic Plague attacks a body system called the immune system. This disease’s structure and function cause this body system to malfunction and will also cause many awful problems and symptoms in the body. Imagine what it would be like if an outbreak of this devastating disease were to occur in the United States today.
The Bubonic Plague is a disease that attacks the immune system, which is the body system that rights diseases. When an infection enters the body there are several lines of defense …show more content…
Some of the early symptoms include: vomiting, shivering, intolerance to light, back and limb pain, headaches, and a white coating on the tongue. Black, blood and pus filled swellings can even develop under the armpit and in the groin. These swellings are called buboes, this is how the disease Bubonic Plague got its name. Black patches on the skin caused by internal bleeding can also appear, this can lead to death in three to five days. If this disease is left untreated it can be extremely deadly. However, if it is treated it often leads a person to full recovery and no further infections return. Some ways to treat the Bubonic Plague include using antibodies such as tetracycline or sulfonamide; these are commonly used as a precaution for people that could potentially be exposed to the bacteria. Vaccines are also available, however they are mostly reserved for people with a high risk of getting this disease. These people include soldiers or someone traveling to an area where an outbreak is occurring or could occur. Another method still used today is quarantine. When someone is infected putting them in quarantine prevents the disease from spreading to others. Although, methods like these weren’t always around, in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries they had some very different theories. For example, in the fourteenth century they thought that ways to treat the disease included bathing in human urine, wearing feces, having a dead animal in the home, and drinking a mixture of molten gold and crushed emeralds. Another example is, in the fifteenth century people believed that a way to prevent the disease was to make incoming ships anchor offshore for 40 days before anyone or anything could get off (World of Microbiology and