In the 14th century Europe was a country torn by war, famine, and scandal in the church. Furthermore, malnutrition, poverty, disease, growing inflation and other economic crises made Europe ripe for a tragedy in the likes of the Bubonic Plague. The Bubonic Plague was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. It ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1350 before it continued on to Russia, leaving 30-95 percent of the entire population dead. The Bubonic Plague killed indiscriminately. No one was spared. The young and the old, the rich and the poor. All social classes were affected, though the lower classes were most vulnerable because they lived in unhealthy conditions. It was worse among …show more content…
The plague can be contracted by insect bites such as the fleas or airborne, such as the cough of an infected individual. In both cases, victims rarely lasted more than three to four days between the beginning of the infection and death. Some of the first symptoms of the Bubonic Plague were vomiting, dizziness, headaches, shivering, tongue turns white, and intolerance to light. Some of the later symptoms are pains in the joints, breaking blood vessels, internal bleeding, and your skin turns black as a result of dried blood from internal bleeding. This is what gave the plague its nickname "The Black Death." One-third to one-half of the entire European population succumbed to this ghastly death. While the Bubonic Plague left intense devastation on Europe it also had profound influences on Europe and its people, both negative and …show more content…
For centuries, the practice of alchemy was used as medicine by many doctors. This practice began slowly to wane when people became aware that it seldom had any effect on the spread of the disease. Also many alchemists’ potions and cures just worsened the condition of the sick. Other diagnoses for Black Death revolved around astrology and superstition which also did nothing to cure the disease. This awareness led to positive changes in the field of medicine. It set the stage for more modern medicine with an emphasis on clinical medicine based on physical science. This pandemic spurred changes in public health and hospital