Sanitation During the Black Death
The Sanitation Problems of the Black Death
The bubonic plague is a bacterial disease that is considered one of the most lethal in history. Recorded pandemics of the plague reach back to 541 A.D. and minor epidemics can still be found around the world (Plague). The plague consists of a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. This bacterium has the ability to mutate quickly and can easily destroy the immune system of the infected person, “it does this by injecting toxins into defense cells such as macrophages that are tasked with detecting bacterial infections. Once these cells are knocked out, the bacteria can multiply unhindered.” (Plague) The bubonic plague has a number of symptoms ranging from a headache to seizures. The most distinguishable symptom, however, is the swelling of the lymph nodes in the groin, under arm, and neck areas (Board). The swollen areas became dark and discoloured very quickly; these massive swollen black areas then became known as buboes. The disease was given the title The Black Death because of the colour change, during a massive pandemic occurring from 1348 to 1350 in Europe (The Black Death, 1348). The bubonic plague struck Europe with an iron fist, leaving destruction and mayhem wherever it went. The disease was easily spread, and became catastrophic during The Middle Ages. In the fourteenth century, Europe was struck by a massive wave of bubonic plague resulting in the death of nearly one third of the continent’s population (britanica encyclopedia). Many factors contributed to the Black Death pandemic; the bacterium travelled from Asia to Europe using rodents as the host, resulting in streets lined with plague. The poor living conditions and lack of proper waste disposal was a key contributor to the spreading of The Plague. Medical techniques of the time were very limited and were based off obsolete medical ideology and little successful research was conducted to support new medical treatments. The lack of proper sanitation during The
The bubonic plague is a bacterial disease that is considered one of the most lethal in history. Recorded pandemics of the plague reach back to 541 A.D. and minor epidemics can still be found around the world (Plague). The plague consists of a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. This bacterium has the ability to mutate quickly and can easily destroy the immune system of the infected person, “it does this by injecting toxins into defense cells such as macrophages that are tasked with detecting bacterial infections. Once these cells are knocked out, the bacteria can multiply unhindered.” (Plague) The bubonic plague has a number of symptoms ranging from a headache to seizures. The most distinguishable symptom, however, is the swelling of the lymph nodes in the groin, under arm, and neck areas (Board). The swollen areas became dark and discoloured very quickly; these massive swollen black areas then became known as buboes. The disease was given the title The Black Death because of the colour change, during a massive pandemic occurring from 1348 to 1350 in Europe (The Black Death, 1348). The bubonic plague struck Europe with an iron fist, leaving destruction and mayhem wherever it went. The disease was easily spread, and became catastrophic during The Middle Ages. In the fourteenth century, Europe was struck by a massive wave of bubonic plague resulting in the death of nearly one third of the continent’s population (britanica encyclopedia). Many factors contributed to the Black Death pandemic; the bacterium travelled from Asia to Europe using rodents as the host, resulting in streets lined with plague. The poor living conditions and lack of proper waste disposal was a key contributor to the spreading of The Plague. Medical techniques of the time were very limited and were based off obsolete medical ideology and little successful research was conducted to support new medical treatments. The lack of proper sanitation during The