Yersinia Plague: The Protagious Outbreak Of The Black Death
Katrina Ruppel
Mr. Don Godfrey
English Comp I
10 November 2014
The Black Death Throughout recorded history, there have been many pandemics that have dealt devastating blows to the human population. Smallpox, Cholera, and Spanish Influenza, are all examples of deadly diseases that have killed millions of people, but perhaps the most infamous of these is what many know as “The Black Death.” This pestilence ravaged Europe destroying entire towns, tearing apart families, and spreading fear like wildfire until it finally ended. This was a dark time in history, a time that left many questions open for speculation. During the time of Black Death, people had no way of knowing what this disease truly was, how it came to Europe, what caused it, or …show more content…
Plague is a disease that is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia Pestis (“Plague: Ecology and Transmission”) Yersinia Pestis is a bacterium that is most commonly found in rodents and other small mammals. When transmitted to humans, the subsequent disease, plague, takes hold (“Plague: Ecology and Transmission”). The disease has three forms, all of which are deadly in their own right and were a part of the Black Death outbreak. The first and most common form is the bubonic plague. The bubonic plague is usually spread by infected fleas that bite humans. The symptom that gave this form of the disease its name is the occurrence of one or more swollen lymph nodes that are called “Buboes.” ("Plague: Symptoms") The septicemic plague is the second form and it is transmitted …show more content…
Many believed that the plague was God’s punishment for sins ("41 Interesting Facts About... The Black Death"). Others believed that the Jews had caused the plague in order to rid the world of Christians, this belief actually led to countless Jews to be expelled or killed in an effort to get rid of the plague ("41 Interesting Facts About... The Black Death"). Along with the many ideas of the plague’s origin, there were also many different ideas of how to cure it. Aromatherapy was one method of treatment along with rotten treacle, bloodletting, eating a spoon full of crushed emeralds, bathing in or drinking urine, covering one’s self in human excrement, and rubbing one’s wounds with a live chicken
Mr. Don Godfrey
English Comp I
10 November 2014
The Black Death Throughout recorded history, there have been many pandemics that have dealt devastating blows to the human population. Smallpox, Cholera, and Spanish Influenza, are all examples of deadly diseases that have killed millions of people, but perhaps the most infamous of these is what many know as “The Black Death.” This pestilence ravaged Europe destroying entire towns, tearing apart families, and spreading fear like wildfire until it finally ended. This was a dark time in history, a time that left many questions open for speculation. During the time of Black Death, people had no way of knowing what this disease truly was, how it came to Europe, what caused it, or …show more content…
Plague is a disease that is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia Pestis (“Plague: Ecology and Transmission”) Yersinia Pestis is a bacterium that is most commonly found in rodents and other small mammals. When transmitted to humans, the subsequent disease, plague, takes hold (“Plague: Ecology and Transmission”). The disease has three forms, all of which are deadly in their own right and were a part of the Black Death outbreak. The first and most common form is the bubonic plague. The bubonic plague is usually spread by infected fleas that bite humans. The symptom that gave this form of the disease its name is the occurrence of one or more swollen lymph nodes that are called “Buboes.” ("Plague: Symptoms") The septicemic plague is the second form and it is transmitted …show more content…
Many believed that the plague was God’s punishment for sins ("41 Interesting Facts About... The Black Death"). Others believed that the Jews had caused the plague in order to rid the world of Christians, this belief actually led to countless Jews to be expelled or killed in an effort to get rid of the plague ("41 Interesting Facts About... The Black Death"). Along with the many ideas of the plague’s origin, there were also many different ideas of how to cure it. Aromatherapy was one method of treatment along with rotten treacle, bloodletting, eating a spoon full of crushed emeralds, bathing in or drinking urine, covering one’s self in human excrement, and rubbing one’s wounds with a live chicken