The Black Death

1347-1350

How the Plague Arrived

• Estimated to be some time during the summer of 1348 in Europe.

• By the fall it spread throughout the southwest of Europe.

• By 1349 it had reached England.• England was completely infected by 1350.• By the end of that year, nearly 2 ½ million

people were dead.– An estimated 1/3 of Europe's population or

25,000,000 people!

Where did the Black Death come from?

Symptoms of the Plague

What caused the Plague?

• The Oriental Rat Flea

How was the Plague Transmitted?

• Spread by fleas that lived on black rats.

• The fleas sucked the rat’s blood which was infected with the plague.

• When the rats died, the fleas moved onto humans.

Forms of the Plague: Bubonic

• The bubonic plague was the most commonly seen form of the Black Death.

• The mortality rate was 30-75%. • The symptoms were enlarged and inflamed

lymph nodes (around arm pits, neck and groin).

• Victims were subject to headaches, nausea, aching joints, fever of 101-105 degrees, vomiting, and a general feeling of illness.

• Symptoms took from 1-7 days to appear.

Forms of the Plague: Pneumonic

• The pneumonic plague was the second most commonly seen form of the Black Death.

• The mortality rate for the pneumonic plague was 90-95% (if treated today the mortality rate would be 5-10%).

• The pneumonic plague infected the lungs. • Symptoms included slimy sputum tinted

with blood. – Sputum is saliva mixed with mucus exerted from

the respiratory system.

• As the disease progressed, the sputum became free flowing and bright red.

• Symptoms took 1-7 days to appear.

Forms of the Plague: Septicemic

• The Septicemic plague was the most rare form of all.

• The mortality was close to 100% (even today there is no treatment).

• Symptoms were a high fever and skin turning deep shades of purple.

• The black death got its name from the deep purple, almost black discoloration.

• Victims usually died the same day symptoms appeared.

• In some cities, as many as 800 people died every day.

How did they cure it?

• Medieval people did not know that the germs caused the disease.

• They also did not know that it was spread by rats and fleas.

• They had a superstitions believe that their bodies must be poisoned.

Crazy Cure #1

• The swelling should be softened with figs and cooked onions.

• The onions were mixed with yeast and butter.

• Then they opened the swelling with a knife.

• Did it work?

Crazy Cure #2

• Take a live frog and put its belly on the plague sore.

• The frog would swell up and burst.

• Keep doing this until the frogs stop bursting.

• Some felt that a toad would work better then a frog.

• Did it work?