Summary : ' Elizabethan Era '

The Black Death was one of the most life-changing pandemics in history. It was first discovered 550 years later in the 1800s by Alexandre Yersin, a french biologist. In his honor, the plague was named Yersinia Pestis. The plague traveled in two major ways. Yersin discovered that it traveled by infected fleas; the flea would attempt to feed on a human or animal and would then regurgitate the disease into the new host, further spreading the illness. Urban areas across Europe were populous with rats, which were one of the main hosts of the plague. These rodents spread the Black Death throughout cities in days. The unaffected still were not safe if they did not come in contact with an infected flea or rat. The plague also traveled pneumonically, or through the air. It caused large boils full of blood and pus, which would pop and spread. Another symptom was coughing, which was one of the many ways of proliferation. The disease eventually spread throughout Europe and killed a third of it’s population. It’s wrath caused many shortages, loss in hope, riots, and even some good things, such as many changes in art, science, and education. Therefore, the Black Death was one of the most life-changing pandemics in history.

The Black Death, also known as the bubonic plague, was a disease that devastated Medieval Europe, between 1346 and 1352 it killed 45 million people, wiping out a third of Europe's population. Today, we know that there were many causes of the Black Death. Medieval towns had no system of drains, sewers or trash collections. In such slovenly conditions, germs could grow, and diseased rats could call these medieval towns their homes and infect the people who lived there. Many historians believed the plague originated in china and spread to other countries by trade routes. Infected people and/or infected rodents such as mice or black rats. The Black Death was caused by strains of the bubonic plague. The plague lived in fleas, and fleas lived on

In the beginning of this book, Cantor begins to describe how the black plague began and the symptoms of the black plague. The black plague was also known as the Black Death. Many have their own thoughts about how the plague started, but Cantor explains his thoughts throughout the first section of this book. According to Cantor, the plague started from a tiny flea. The black plague is thought to have started in Asia and spread through trade. Shipyards were filthy during the medieval period, which made it perfect for rodents and rats to live on the ships. Rats were perfect carriers for fleas. The fleas would live off the rats. Once the ships would enter a new harbor the rats would get off the ship and invade the new town. The town the ships would dock in towns that might not have been invaded, but after a ship full of diseased rats ran off throughout the town, the town was then infected with the black plague. Before long the rats were not the only carriers of this dreadful disease. House cats were beginning to carry the black plague. The fleas from the rats would attach to cats and then the cats would go to their home and then before long the residents of that house would be infected.

patients. Because they were paid by the state, the doctors were able to treat both the

All throughout history nations all over the world have dealt with deadly diseases, but one in particular brought out the fear in the nations of Europe, the bubonic plague or as others call it, the black death. During the thirteenth century, medicine was not as developed as it is now, causing England to suffer more than others. According to Cantor (2002) the European nations encountered the bubonic plague in its most brutal state during 1348 to 1349, taking out about a third of Europe’s population (pp. 6-7). He continues on by claiming that one big question to this event was whether or not the plague was the full cause to the loss of lives or if there was another cause along with it (p. 11). Cantor (2002) also explained that the reason the black plague stopped in Europe around the eighteenth century could possibly have been from an introduction to a new species of rats, the gray rat (p. 13). Even though there is controversy based around the plague being spread by rats and how it was stopped by isolation, it may have taught countries useful strategies and ways to grow stronger.

The black rat originated in Asia in the Mongolian Empire. They were wild borrowing animals who hosted the microorganism Yersinia pestis, which was natural disease in the wild borrowing animal’s population. Humans and these animals did not cross paths until the development of roads crossing through the domain of the rats. Following the onset of the leprosy scare throughout Europe, another deadlier infection was about to change their perspective on life and the world. The Church held the most power over the monarchs and peasant people life, alike, during the leprosy endemic, but at the start of a new infection they would lose their power vary rapidly as it came to be. Just as the Church lost it power and influence different churches emerged from the plague as did other lasting societal impacts. The plague ravaged through Europe and destroyed their current way of life and inflicting societal changes that are still present today.

The application of health measures are essential in preventing disease outbreaks. The spread of the Black Death was caused by flea-carrying rats; therefore, in order to prevent disease transmission,

In Medieval Europe, many people thought “bad air” was the cause of the Black Plague (Document K). Back in the Middle Ages, the Black Plague was a very severe disease that went around Europe and Asia. It killed about 1/3 of the population and lasted 3 years (Background Information). The disease was carried by rats. It had gotten to the humans by fleas, which had gotten the plague by the rats (The True Cause of the Plague). The effects of the black plague in Medieval Europe were a decrease in the population and economy, new jobs for the serfs, and religion.

The Elizabethan Era is often referred to as the Golden Age of England (A Changing View...). The Elizabethan Era, named after Queen Elizabeth I, was a time of change and discovery (Elizabethan Superstitions). Elizabeth ruled in a time of religious turmoil; both the Catholics and Protestants fought to be the official religion of England. (Elizabethan World View). Many people throughout England struggled to find the “correct” religion (Elizabethan World View). Religion was changing and so did science. During the late 1500’s science began to evolve; new ideas, concepts, and beliefs were starting to emerge (A Changing View). Magic was considered to be very similar to science in this era. The belief in magical creatures served as the roots for

The disastrous plague called the Black Death had monumental, long lasting effects that would ultimately change the fate of the entire continent of Europe. The mid-1300s in Europe were part of the Dark Ages. Human populations were near over-crowding, and the land was stretched to produce food. Mother Nature created a drastic solution. The world lifted a bleak shadow of death and chaos over the people of Europe in the form of plague. It originated from fleas, but rats carried the fleas with this plague across seaward trading routes from Asia. Humans were oblivious to the deadly fleas disguised in the familiar sight of the rats aboard their trading ships. The plague was an airborne disease, and it was transmittable to humans. Once one was infected, no escape option was available. The plague was characterized by black cysts on the skin, which influenced humans to later dub the plague “The Black Death”. Europe was previously suffering during the Dark Ages, but what were the Black Death’s effects on Europe? The staggering effects of the Black Death were outlined clearly in the fragility of religion, the floundering population and education, and oddly enough, a recovered and thriving economy.

the spread of the illness, and the responses of medical practitioners. what I enjoyed about this specific source, was that it

As the second part of this reflection paper, I selected a book ‘A Short History of Disease’ by Sean Martin. He is a writer and filmmaker also known for his other famous books like The Knights Templar, Alchemy and alchemists, the Gnostics. His films include Lanterna Magicka: Bill Douglas & the secret history of cinema. The most alluring thing which conceives me to cull this book is a history of the disease, as a medical professional, it's always tantalizing to know from where all these begins and this book reaches up to my expectations as it started from the first ever recorded disease in the history of mankind. He isn’t lying when he say this a history of the disease. He starts from the earliest bacteria to evolve on the earth, long before there was anything around to infect. This book is divided into seven chapters, each chapter describes the history of diseases in a particular era. Chapter One: Prehistory, Chapter Two: Antiquity, Chapter Three: The Dark and Middle Ages, Chapter Four: The New World, Chapter

How rats affected the black plague, and how it spread so fast and where it came from and how it got there. That they believe that the black plague started in China and spread to Europe by rats. That they believe

The fear of disease caused the people to have erratic and emotional feelings. They blamed people and things that had no piece in the cause of the plague. People who were blamed for the plague would publicly kill or beat themselves because they believed what people would say.(Historic World Events) Knowing what we do now we know, in reality, people brought the spread upon themselves. The disease itself would infect airborne objects like fleas. The fleas would bite people and other animals continuing the spread of the disease. Rats were another big issue for people. The rats would get bitten by the fleas and then move to the farms and boat areas and bite people. The rats would also be in the markets and then the food the people would eat would have the disease in the area where it originated (Hoyle). Ships crews would all die out at sea, then float to shore. According to Jacob von Königshofen, that’s the way it would get across the seas and oceans to certain islands and port cities. Lastly, and the most disgusting thing that caused the spread of the plague, was the unhealthiness of the people. They would dump their bodily fluids in the streets causing an unhealthy environment. Also, there were so many deaths that they would just leave the dead bodies lying around until they could get a proper burial day. These practices accelerated the exposure of millions. (Historic world

Over the years, society has created and recreated different ideas of what is considered socially acceptable and what customs to follow on a daily basis. These ideas are constantly changing and renewing themselves, making even last year’s behavioral habits seem crude. For instance, life in Elizabethan England contrasted with how life is now because people acted differently, dressed differently, spoke differently, and in a general, broader sense, they lived differently. Because people grow and change and learn from their previous mistakes, Elizabethan customs are practically obsolete due to their lack of effectiveness or rather the lack of need for them to continue.