Carriers Of The Plague Rats And Fleas example essay topic

When Bubonic Plague visited England in 1348, it was called the Great Mortality. We know it as the Black Death that lasted until 1352 and killed vast populations in Asia, North Africa, Europe, Iceland, and Greenland. In total, it extinguished as much as fifty percent of the world's population. In England, bubonic plague on average killed at least one-third of all inhabitants between 1348 and 1349. In London alone, one out of two people died during the visitation. The bottom line is that every English man, woman, and child at the time encountered plague in some way, and all feared it.

After 1352, the plague became endemic in England, flaring up routinely and then yearly from 1485 to 1670. Within those two centuries, the plague regularly contributed to dramatic increases in English mortality. English plague tracts and tales came into existence and grew in number: Langland railed against plague -time physicians in Piers Plowman; Chaucer's Pardoner's Tale takes place in plague -time, unlike the other previous accounts of the same story; Hans Holbein -- essential painter of Henry V and Sir Thomas More -- died of plague in 1543; Erasmus wrote many letters on his being nearly imprisoned at Oxford while plague raged in London; Spenser used plague as a setting for his 'Prosopopoeia or Mother Hubbard's Tale'; it is assumed that John Fletcher died from plague in 1625; Jonson lost a son to the plague and immortalized him in poetry. The list is much longer.

It was not until well after 1720 with the last great plague in Marseilles that the litany would wane. 1 The fear of plague was inherent in Renaissance English society. At least two periods of extensive mortality occurred on average with each reign of an early monarch. The Black Death is generally related with Europe and the period 1346-1350 but it neither began nor ended then. The earliest records of this pestilence are in China. In 46 AD an epidemic in Mongolia killed two-thirds of the population.

In 312 northern and central China became a wasteland and in the province of Shensi, only one or two out of 100 taxpayers survived. In 468,140,000 inhabitants died in the Chinese cities of Honan, Hope, Shantung and others. Plague spreads During the next 900 years this pestilence traveled gradually all over China and the Middle East though major outbreaks were not frequent. By 1346 it had reached the Crimea and took on a far more strong form, spreading to Turkey and the major islands in the Mediterranean and then into the rest of Europe. Most major European centers felt the impact of the Black Death. It reached Sicily in 1346, Italy in early 1347, and towards the end of 1347 was in Marseilles, France.

In 1348 it attacked Spain and spread throughout Germany and France. It arrived in London early in the same year and by 1349 was in Oxford and spread throughout England where it was present until 1359. Scotland was affected rather later. 2"In any given period, the plague accomplished its work in three to six months and then faded from view. The plague came and went like a tornado -- its appearance and movement was totally unpredictable. In northern cities, the plague lay dormant in winter and then reappeared the following spring.

In 1349, the plague reappeared at Paris and eventually spread to Holland, Scotland and Ireland. In Norway, a ghost shipped drifted offshore for months before it ran aground with its cargo of death. By the end of 1349, Sweden, Denmark, Prussia, Iceland and Greenland felt the full effects of the plague. The plague left nearly as quickly as it had appeared.

By mid-1350, the plague had completed its deed across the continent of Europe". 3 The mortality rate of the Black Death was horrendous. It is estimated in various parts of Europe at two-thirds to three-quarters of the population. In England it was even higher during the first wave. Some countries were less seriously affected. Shrewsbury, the author of 'History of Bubonic Plague in the British Isles, calculates that a quarter of the population of Europe, or 25 million, died as a result of the Black Death.

4 The Plague returned sporadically, striking mostly children, until it disappeared from Europe in 1399, not to return again until the 17th century. The Black Death changed the demography of Europe significantly. Aside from the Plague deaths, there was also a decline in the birth rate. The net result was that by 1400, Europe's population was half what it had been in 1345. This is known with some accurateness from many medieval church, census, and tax records that have survived. Reasonably accurate records exist for the London epidemic in 1665, that from an estimated population of 460,000 two-thirds left the city to escape.

Of the one-third remaining, about half died. Europe's population took about six generations to pick up. The Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio lived through the plague as it devastated the city of Florence in 1348. The experience inspired him to write The Decameron. Boccaccio gives a striking account of the effects of the plague on his city:" No doctor's advice, no medicine could overcome or alleviate this disease, an enormous number of ignorant men and women set up as doctors in addition to those who were trained.

In any case very few recovered; most people died within about three days of the appearance of the tumors". 5 Symptoms Of The Plague In Europe the pestilence was named the Black Death because of discoloration of the skin and black tumors that occurred on the second day of contracting the plague. These tumors were mainly in the groin area and were the sign of death within 24 hours in 99 percent of cases. The scourge was also known as "the poor plague" because of the regular first occurrence in the poorer parts of town.

The symptoms were described as: seizures followed by an increase of temperature, with vomiting, headache, dizziness, intolerance to light, pain in the lower abdomen, back and limbs, restlessness, lethargy and delirium. The body temperature varied greatly from 101 o-107 o but fell two or three degrees on the second or third day. The headache was described as splitting and the deliriousness similar to the DTs (delirium tremens), resulting from severe drunkenness. The eyes became red; the tongue swelled and became covered with a white fur except on the tip. Later the tongue became dry and the fur turned yellow or brown. Constipation was the rule but there might be diarrhea - an even dreadful symptom.

6 a typical symptom in severe cases was that the patient appeared shocked and brainless, staggered and had slurred speech. The patient might die within 24 hours, but more usually death occurred on the second or third day. Recovery was very rare. The plague presented itself in three interconnected types.

The bubonic variant (the most common) derives its name from the swellings or buboes that appeared on a victim's neck, armpits or groin. These tumors could range in size from that of an egg to that of an apple. While some survived the agonizing suffering, the appearance of these lesions usually indicated the victim had a life expectancy of up to a week. Infected fleas that attached themselves to the rats and then to humans, spread this bubonic type of the plague. A second variation - pneumatic plague - attacked the respiratory system and was spread by simply breathing the exhaled air of a victim. It was much more virulent than its bubonic cousin - life expectancy was measured in one or two days.

Lastly, the septicemic version of the disease attacked the blood system. Having no defense and no understanding of the cause of the pestilence, the men, women and children caught in its attack were confused, frightened, and finally devastated. Causes Of The Plague No apparent reason for the spread of the scourge in Europe in the middle ages was known. Strong doubts were directed at sailors and traders involved in commercial activities resulting from the broad growth of trade during this period.

Those from Asia and the Middle East, where a history of plague dated back a thousand years, came under strict restrictions. Quarantines were implemented in many European ports but they were unsuccessful at preventing the plague. The physicians of that era were puzzled and had little to offer either by way of reason or treatment. It wasn't until the 15th century when largely severe epidemics raged all through Europe that it was noticed that cities with good hygienic conditions suffered less. Fifteenth century physicians thought that airborne infection spread the disease. A policy of isolating houses in which the disease was found was initiated and infected houses were marked with a red cross.

Such severe incarceration was a near death sentence for all inside the household. Nevertheless, this seemed to have the strange effect of concentrating the disease. It was not being spread by airborne infection at all but by a far more menacing agent. The Rats and the Fleas That agent proved to be the ordinary rat that thrived in the unhygienic surroundings common in most medieval cities. The rats themselves were not responsible; they were just as vulnerable against the plague as humans. It was afterward discovered that a sure symptom of the beginning of an outbreak was when the rat population was annihilated by an epizootic (the animal equivalent of an epidemic).

The epizoa or parasite that caused the rats to die was generally recognized at that time. Rats were hunted ruthlessly but with limited effect on the growth of the bubonic plague. What was not known was that when the fleas no longer had the rats as hosts they attacked man and other animals. The family cat fell under much misgiving. As a rat hunter and flea carrier it too suffered unknowingly from much slaughter. The reality that fleas could be present on humans clothing and belongings accounted for the mysterious abrupt appearance of the plague in homes, towns and countries that had previously escaped an outbreak.

General lack of knowledge about the causes of the plague did nothing to dismiss panic and fear. The carriers of the plague -- rats and fleas -- were not suspected for one very simple reason; rats and fleas were common and well known to the 14th century. Fleas are not mentioned in the records of the plague. The real plague bacillus, Yersinia pestis, was not discovered until the middle of the 19th century, 500 years later! Living in the stomach of the flea or in the bloodstream of the rat, the bacillus was transferred to humans by the bite of either the flea or the rat. The plague's usual form of transportation was the, the small medieval black rat that was a regular companion of sailor's on board sailing ships.

The death of the rat caused the transfer of the flea, and if its next host just happened to be a human, then infection was the result. Medieval men and women were quite resourceful, however, in determining the cause of the plague. The earthquake of 1348 was blamed for corrupting the air with stinking smell, so kicking off the plague. The alignment of the planets was advocated as yet another reason: Saturn, Jupiter and Mars aligned in the 40th degree of Aquarius on March 20, 1345. For nearly everyone, the plague signified the wrath of God. A plague so extensive and merciless could only be the work of some type of Divine punishment upon mankind for its sins.

Popes led processions lasting three days and which two thousand followers, according to some accounts, attended. The people prayed, wept, clenched their teeth, and tugged their hair, begging the clemency of the Virgin Mary. The bulk of public were sure that the plague was definitely the work of God. And in September 1348, the Pope agreed. In a papal edict he specially referred to this pestilence with which God is affecting the Christian people. The general acceptance of this view created a huge sense of collective guilt.

If the plague had descended upon mankind as a type of divine punishment, then the sins which created it must have been awful: greediness, usury, worldliness, infidelity, blasphemy, dishonesty, sacrilege, extravagance, disbelief, fornication, idleness and indolence. Beneath all of this was the mold of Christianity itself -- nothing escaped the psychological and social control of the Church. Even the boiling of an egg was timed according to the time it took to say a prayer. Throughout Europe, Jews along with lepers and other minorities became scapegoats for the devastation of the plaque. Thousands were burned alive in vengeance. The way to prevent plague was clear to the Puritans in New England: believe in and obey the commandments of God.

In so many ways this advice is like that supplied by More and Bacon. More's emphasis on the lack of pride, 'parent of all plagues,' in Utopia makes clear his final verdict on England's health: plague and the greatest sin of are inseparable and can only be cured by caritas their opposite (as Galenic medicine and Augustinian doctrine would prescribe). Bacon likewise assures his readers that the Bensalem ites are a Christian community, conducting all experiments, finally, for the glory of God. 8 Cavendish, least overtly religious of the three in the utopian writings, still maintains a seemingly permanent place for plague in her narrative which is otherwise the least structured among Utopia and New AtlantisTreatmentEfforts to deal with the plague were unsuccessful. Both the treatment and prevention offered little in the way of immunity, healing or optimism. The physician's main effort was to burn aromatic herbs and sanitizes the air.

Their role was to alleviate the patient since each victim's destiny was in the hands of God alone. Victims of the plague were treated by bloodletting, purging with laxatives and the piercing of the plague-boils. Victims were washed in vinegar or rose water, given mild diets and told to avoid exhilaration. In any case, if a patient unexpectedly recovered, his improvement owed less to the care of the physician that it did to good fortune. Social Changes The Black Death speeded up the changes in medieval society that were already in progress. The most direct effect of the Black Death was a scarcity of labor.

A great deal land could no longer be cultivated. In return, the aristocracy refused to continue the long widespread practice of steadily abolishing serfdom by allowing the serfs to buy their freedom. Over the centuries it had been realized by some that free tenants were more industrious than serfs, and this had led to a slow collapse in the use of serfs. With the post-Plague labor scarcity, many aristocrats tried to repeal the process in order to keep their land under cultivation and their revenues up. Liberated tenants were taking advantage of the labor shortage to demand improved conditions from their landlords and the nobles were hesitant to see their profits reduced. Governments tried to fix wages, but the labor shortage was overwhelming.

If their feudal lords would not give up, serfs just fled to regions where incomes were higher or land rental conditions lower. The alarm of the Plague caused many peasants to demand a reformation of society, frequently with a religious zeal. A rough form of democracy was demanded and with it a limitation of aristocratic civil rights and privileges. When these hopes for an improved life were tersely rejected, or savagely subdued by the aristocracy, many commoners rose in rebellion.

The French Jacquerie of 1358 and the English Peasant's Rebellion in 1381 were only the tip of the iceberg. Disorder was all over the place. 9 None of the uprisings were successful. But eventually the dissolution of the manor system of managing agriculture began. It was replaced by a land rent system, with the freedom of the peasants recognized.

This system still exists in various parts of Europe, although the desire of peasants to be in possession of their land ultimately led, centuries later, to migration to places like Russia, Australia, Africa, and the Americas. There was never sufficient land, and dividing it among the sons soon led to economically un viable situations. High inflation was caused by the higher wages and the small manufacturing and commercial classes attempted to uphold their position by getting laws passed regulating who could enter their industries. This plainly caused disturbances in the cities, as landless peasants rioted for the opportunities now denied to them.

Higher wages meant that many people had more money to spend on themselves. New industries arose to meet the demand. English manufacturers created a new, and more lucrative cloth-manufacturing industry based on the power of water mills, rather than cheap labor that was no longer available. Governments also had to adjust. Land was neglected, rents were not paid, and tax returns declined. This had a severe effect on the war, as the salaries of mercenary soldiers increased while available tax returns decreased by more than 50 percent.

10 The French also suffered from the collapse of the system of free military service as a feudal requirement. There were fewer trained soldiers available and those that were still around wanted a lot more money or merely had better financial prospects doing something else. As a result of the Plague, the French went over to a system of paid, professional, army, something the English had been doing for a long time. Coming at a time when taxes were lower than before, this led to smaller armies. The post-Plague world was one with immensely better opportunities for creative and skilled persons. Whereas the Black Death killed off medieval society, it gave birth to the first phase of our own industrialized consumer society..