The Black Death Flashcards
Where did the black Death originate?
China
What year did the Black Death start?
1346
How many lives, approximately did the black death take?
25 million lives
When did the black death come to Europe?
1347
Which European country had the first case?
Italy
What was the black plague?
- A pandemic
- A highly infectious disease
- Known as the black plague because of the black lumps, known as buboes, that appeared on the skin of victims
Was there a cure for this plague?
No
What did the doctors believe where all plagues (diseases ) come from? What was the treatment was used?
Disease resulted from bad smells. They used herbs or pleasant-smelling crushed flowers, which the patient would sniff by means of a nosebag. But, doctors also advised patients to sniff bad smells in belief of one bad smell counteracting another.
What was a popular medieval treatment? (Deep)
Doctors often used the popular medieval treatment of ‘bleeding’ the patient. They attached leeches to key veins, chosen according to guidance from astrology. Doctors also cut into the buboes to remove what was thought to be the ‘bad’ blood within them, then covered the cuts with a herbal ointment.
What was the plague bacterium called?
Yersinia pestis.
Fleas carrying Yersinia pestis infected humans. What were the symptoms when caught?
large (1–10 centimetres long), very painful, itchy blue-black tumours called buboes in the groin and armpits
pus and horrible smells coming from buboes
coughing up blood
fever
nausea and vomiting.
