What is the Plague?- Anna Taylor
The term "plague" is fitting to describe the deadly disease that took millions of lives during the medieval time period in the fourteenth century. The dictionary definition of plague is "a disastrous evil or affliction." (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plague). The plague comes from the organism with the scientific name Yersinia Pestis. If the disease is left untreated, it can progress to become very severe. The plague caused upwards of fifty million deaths during the 14th century alone. (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs267/en/)
There were a total of three plague pandemics that swept throughout the world and they were all different in means of geography and transportation. …show more content…
The fleas were carried by rats and the rats were transported through trade. The bubonic plague is believed to be the most common form of the plague. (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs267/en/) The bubonic plague 's name derives from the buboes, or swollen lymph nodes. The buboes are about the size of an egg (a chicken 's egg) and typically found in the armpit or groin. …show more content…
One of the most well accepted theories as to how to Black Death declined was the method of quarantine. People, even religious priests, would barricade themselves in their homes once infected to stop the spread of disease. Another possible cause for the plague 's decline is the increase of temperature during that time. This is because cold weather was known to help the bacteria thrive. The decrease in travelers is also believed to have played a role in the subsiding of the plague. People were staying in the safety of their own community instead of facing the risk of infection. In addition, general hygiene greatly improved. Bodies were piling up, so burning them seemed most efficient to the people at the time which in turn helped to stop the spread of disease. More people were making a habit out of bathing as well. Although the plague did not fade entirely, it did decline substantially