Jennifer Sinnott
Hist 111-002
Philip Ziegler: The Black Death
Professor Brown
April 22, 2014
The Black Death
The Black Death is one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. Millions of people perished due to this terrible disease spreading all through Europe. One of the main assumptions as to how the plague was spread was through the air, which was very dirty at that time (Ziegler14). Another assumption as to how the plague spread was through sailors who traveled from place to place. They were said to be infected and that they brought the disease with them to every port (16). The last hypothesis as to how the Bubonic plague advanced is that it was carried by rats. These rats were said to have the disease and to give it to citizens. Rats were everywhere, even in people's homes, because the cities were so polluted in that time period (27).
Burning of Jews during the Black Death epidemic, 1...
Illustration of the Black Death from the Toggenbur...
Jews are burned alive during the Black Death.The plague got as far as it did through trade routes. The people using the trade routes would bring it with them. That is how it hit so many places and killed so many people so fast (42). When the plague hit the common man had no form of defense to fight it off (17). He was helpless towards its horrendous effects. The name "Black Death" was said to come from the color of the victim's skin. Their skin would turn black or purple (17). They afflicted would get boils on their groins or armpits, they could grow as large as the common apple. They also could get black spots up their arms and thighs (18). There were two types of the plague, one that lasted two months, with continuous fever and spitting of blood, this one killed the victim in three days. The second type lasted...