Humanities 8 - Plague Inquiry project
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Don't forget to keep track of your sources and complete a bibliography.
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Suggested Websites
500-400 AD: The Middle Ages Health conditions in Europe became worse in the Middle Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire. There was a lack of access to clean drinking water, sewage systems and regular bathing. Learn about some of the common beliefs concerning health and medicine in the Middle Ages. You will see how medicine was dominated by religion and why most herbal remedies and potions were outlawed by the church. Read about surgery and about the Black Plague.
Black Death Can you imagine if a bacterial disease spread so rapidly that it wiped out a large proportion of the population in a short amount of time? Well, this actually did occur in the fourteenth century, and you may have heard of it as the Black Plague, or Bubonic Plague. This site will tell the story of this biological disaster and will explain to you what exactly this disease was, where it originated, and much more.
Black Death: 1348-1350 The bubonic plague first came to England in 1348. By 1350, between 30 and 40% of the population had died. It mutated as it spread to London, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The dreaded illness spread by road and ship, especially in port cities where conditions were crowded. The Scots were on their way to invade London when the plague struck them. Those in the mountains of Ireland were the last to succumb, but by then, the disease was so contagious that whole families died.
Black Death: Political and Social Changes Analyze the impact of the Black Death in bringing political and social changes. Before the disease struck, Britain was overpopulated, and life was short and brutal for peasants because landowners could always find more manpower. In fact, after the plague, workers were so much in demand that Parliament tried passing laws forbidding peasants to move to other areas to seek higher wages. Workers' wages doubled, and tenant farmers were responsible for more land and became yeomen.
Children During the Black Death Antibiotics would today prevent an epidemic like the Black Death but in medieval times, the lethal disease spread quickly across Europe. Spread by rats and fleas along trade routes, it was particularly deadly in urban areas and port cities. Mortality rates ranged from a third to half of the population. Panic caused social breakdown as doctors and others refused to help. Some sick children and family members were abandoned, but other children were provided for in wills as their parents died.
Dark and Middle Ages Hundreds of years ago, people were just beginning to learn about health and medicine. There were many superstitions about why a person was sick and how to heal a disease. Some people believed that diseases were a punishment from God. The Kids Work web site looks at medicine in Dark and Middle Ages. Read about an Arabic doctor who explored medicine as a science and find out about an epidemic that killed millions of people in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Decoding the Black Death: Video Decoding the Black Death is a video that examines the plague that that killed around half of Europe's population in the fourteenth century. In the video you will learn about the evolution of a nonpathogenic bacterium that lived in the soil into a deadly bacterium that was spread from fleas to rats and then to humans. Scientists learned about the bacterium and deciphered the genome by examining skeletons from this time period.
Disease in the Fourteenth Century During the fourteenth century a common fear among people was death from disease. Many various diseases claimed the lives of a large portion of the population at this time, including diseases such as typhoid fever, diphtheria, and dysentery. However, it wasn't until the early 1330's that a new fear began, one that is considered one of the greatest disasters in world history - the Black Death.
Epidemics of the Past: Bubonic Plague A children's rhyme tells the tale of a European epidemic. Bubonic plague, or Black Death, first showed up in China more than 2,200 years ago. In the 14th century, this devastating disease killed 25 million people in Europe. Flu-like symptoms were followed by swelling lymph nodes and rings around flea bites. The nervous system collapsed as terror took over and the skin blackened. The smell was terrible as infected corpses were burned. Fleas spread the disease from rats.
Health in the 17th Century Diseases were easily spread in the Middle Ages because people did not know much about hygiene. Learn about early beliefs that the human body was ruled by four humors. Read about various cures used in the 17th century and find out why doctors used leeches for treatment. The use of herbs to treat illness is discussed and advances in medical treatment are explained. There is also information about the great plague, superstitions and why it was difficult for scientists to investigate the human body.
How Plague Works Squalid medieval conditions were perfect for the spread of the plague. Death tolls rose as neither quarantines nor persecution stopped the spread. The culprit was Yersinia pestis, a bacterium spread by fleas and rats. Influenza, Ebola, anthrax, and HIV struck as pandemics even in modern times. The plague killed 100 million in the 6th century and a third of Europe in the 14th century. It struck as an epidemic in London in the 16th century.
Medicine in the Middle Ages One of the important ways that art and medicine are related is in the way that our knowledge of the history of medicine is enhanced through the artistic depictions of diseases and medical practices from the past. This web site provides twenty-one digital images of works of art related to medicine during the middle ages. There is also an excellent short essay that provides insightful commentary on the works of art and their relevance to medicine.
Medieval Hospitals of London Brought to you by Gresham College, this video lecture looks at the beginnings of hospitals in London during the medieval period. The options to access the information include watching the video, listening to the audio version or reading the transcript. Professor William Ayliffe describes what a medieval hospital was and how these hospitals were originally intended to provide spiritual care, not medical care. Learn about the many types of hospitals and about the functions of different hospitals.
Mystery of the Black Death: Clues and Evidence In the isolated village of Eyam, everyone was exposed to the plague. Yet, some survived the epidemic. Something in them provided immunity so that the plague bacteria couldn't hijack the white blood cells. By 1665, Eyam was keeping detailed records of who lived and died. Dr. Stephen O'Brian collected DNA samples from the descendants of plague survivors. Fourteen percent of those tested had the delta 32 mutation.
On the Trail of the Black Death Nomadic tribes didn't have a lot of contact with others to spread diseases. As cities and empires arose, virulent organisms could spread far and wide before dying out. War and world trade opened the door into Europe for the Black Death. Bubonic plague was spread by rats on ships, but what if the Black Death wasn't the plague? Perhaps it was a virus. Explore research into a mutation found in the modern-day descendents of plague survivors from Eyam, a village that voluntary quarantined itself.
Pain and Medieval Medicine Celebration of or resigned acceptance of pain seems to be the common attitudes during the Middle Ages. At this web site about pain from the Wellcome Trust there is information about how religion permeated all spheres of Western medieval life including medicine. Find out about newly established schools of medicine during this period of history and read about the nature of pain and the balance of the four bodily humors. Relief from pain is also discussed.
Renaissance: What Inspired This Age of Balance and Order? The Renaissance Period was a time of great discovery and reflection. William Shakespeare began writing beautiful prose. Art was blossoming and becoming more accepted. Technology was beginning. All of this occurred on the tailwinds of the great and devastating Black Plague. Here you will find tremendous resources of the Renaissance period.
The Black Death The Black Death struck England in the 14th century. Weakened by war and hunger, people were vulnerable to an epidemic. Busy trade routes carried the rats and fleas that spread the disease. Half of the people in England, Wales, Ireland, and Wales died. The Black Death killed over 3 million people. Find out what caused the plague. Doctors didn't know how to stop it. The types of plague that infected the lungs and blood were especially deadly.
The Black Death Medieval sanitation was poor at best. Dirt floors, flea-infested rushes or hay for mattresses, and chamber pots being emptied on the streets made cities filthy places full of disease. Water was polluted, so people drank wine even if they were young. Only the wealthy could afford doctors, but barber-surgeons would pull a tooth or amputate a limb. Apothecaries and healers provided herbal medicines. In the mid-14th century, more than one-third of Europe died on the Black Death.
The Black Death, 1348 The Black Death spread from the East into Europe in 1348, beginning an epidemic worse than any previously known to the Europeans. Three forms of the plague attacked in different ways. Bubonic plague caused large tumors or swellings, and was spread by fleas and rats. Pneumonic plague affected the lungs and was spread in the air. Septicemic plague affected the blood. Panic resulted, as no one knew how to prevent this communicable disease, and no treatment was available.
The Black Death Actually Improved Public Health Explore the impact of the Black Death on public health in Europe. Millions died, but living conditions and lifespans improved in the two centuries following the medieval epidemic. The devastation transformed demographics in London. The epidemic and its aftermath were horrifying, but led to improvements in public health. Birth rates showed little change, but diets improved. A smaller population meant lower food prices and higher wages.
The Black Death: The Greatest Catastrophe Ever Sixty percent of Europe's population died in the Black Death, a spread of bubonic plague in the mid-14th century. Deep pits were dug at all the church cemeteries, and each held many bodies with a layer of dirt added each day. Letters and chronicles tell of the personal tragedies of those who buried spouses or children. The disease was spread by rats that lived in houses and on ships. Infected fleas bit humans after the rats in a colony died. In a few days, victims fell ill.
The Great Plague (1644-1666) The Great Plague, also known as the Black Death or bubonic plague, is the topic of discussion in this report. More terrible than the previous outbreaks of plague in London, the Great Plague started in the poorest areas of London and this report provides you with the details on how it was transmitted and spread. Information on the treatment of plague victims demonstrates the misinformation about the plague that existed during the seventeenth century. The symptoms of the plague are described
The Great Plague of London Rats and the fleas they carried brought bubonic plague to London in 1665. Thinking it might be spread by dogs or cats, the mayor ordered the animals to be killed. He didn't know it was spread by rats and that would only make it worse. Most rich people left the city, but some stayed to write about the plague or help people. Learn about quarantines and find out how people tried to clean the air and keep from catching the plague. One in five Londoners died in the Great Plague.
The Middle Ages: The Black Death At this web site you will learn about the Black Death from its eruption in the Gobi desert in 1320 through the middle ages. Learn how the disease spread through Europe into Asia where more that 7,000 people per day were dying of the Black Death in Cairo alone. What were the population, economic, and cultural losses that can be attributed to the plague? What forms did it take? What measures were taken to fight the plague? Did it reoccur? Learn more here.
The Onset of the Black Death, was Described by Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375) Italian Poet and author Biovanni Boccaccio wrote a book The Decameron, that was about the Black Death, an illness that took the lives of thousands of people. One third of the population of Europe died during this plague in 1347 A.D. The text you will find here is part of the Internet Medieval Source Book, a collection of copy-permitted texts related to medieval history. You can read a large part of Bocaccio's Decameron on this site.
The Past, Present and Future of the Bubonic Plague - Sharon N. DeWitte In the 14th century, the bubonic plague killed about 20% of the Earth's human population. In some parts of Europe, half the population of a city or country died in a few years. The plague continues to claim lives, but the number of deaths is much smaller. Investigate the Black Death and find out what scientists learned. Yersimnia pestis had been around and causing disease for centuries.
The Plague The Great Plague struck London in 1665. Thousands died in a single week from the bubonic plague as an epidemic raged through the city that summer. The germs that caused plague were spread by fleas and rats. Traders and people running from the plague brought it from London to other cities. About 75% of the villagers in Eyam died when they volunteered to put their town under quarantine to keep the plague from spreading. Learn about cures and public health measures as people tried to avoid.
What is Epidemic and How it Occurs? In an epidemic, a lot of people get sick from the same disease. Epidemics were very common before people knew how germs spread. They still happen today if people live in crowded places or don't have clean water. Smallpox and plague killed millions of people. World travel in the Middle Ages brought deadly diseases to new lands. Plague traveled to Europe on ships, and explorers brought smallpox to the Americas. Fleas and rats helped spread the plague.
Links and summaries courtesy of WebPath Express.
500-400 AD: The Middle Ages Health conditions in Europe became worse in the Middle Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire. There was a lack of access to clean drinking water, sewage systems and regular bathing. Learn about some of the common beliefs concerning health and medicine in the Middle Ages. You will see how medicine was dominated by religion and why most herbal remedies and potions were outlawed by the church. Read about surgery and about the Black Plague.
Black Death Can you imagine if a bacterial disease spread so rapidly that it wiped out a large proportion of the population in a short amount of time? Well, this actually did occur in the fourteenth century, and you may have heard of it as the Black Plague, or Bubonic Plague. This site will tell the story of this biological disaster and will explain to you what exactly this disease was, where it originated, and much more.
Black Death: 1348-1350 The bubonic plague first came to England in 1348. By 1350, between 30 and 40% of the population had died. It mutated as it spread to London, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The dreaded illness spread by road and ship, especially in port cities where conditions were crowded. The Scots were on their way to invade London when the plague struck them. Those in the mountains of Ireland were the last to succumb, but by then, the disease was so contagious that whole families died.
Black Death: Political and Social Changes Analyze the impact of the Black Death in bringing political and social changes. Before the disease struck, Britain was overpopulated, and life was short and brutal for peasants because landowners could always find more manpower. In fact, after the plague, workers were so much in demand that Parliament tried passing laws forbidding peasants to move to other areas to seek higher wages. Workers' wages doubled, and tenant farmers were responsible for more land and became yeomen.
Children During the Black Death Antibiotics would today prevent an epidemic like the Black Death but in medieval times, the lethal disease spread quickly across Europe. Spread by rats and fleas along trade routes, it was particularly deadly in urban areas and port cities. Mortality rates ranged from a third to half of the population. Panic caused social breakdown as doctors and others refused to help. Some sick children and family members were abandoned, but other children were provided for in wills as their parents died.
Dark and Middle Ages Hundreds of years ago, people were just beginning to learn about health and medicine. There were many superstitions about why a person was sick and how to heal a disease. Some people believed that diseases were a punishment from God. The Kids Work web site looks at medicine in Dark and Middle Ages. Read about an Arabic doctor who explored medicine as a science and find out about an epidemic that killed millions of people in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Decoding the Black Death: Video Decoding the Black Death is a video that examines the plague that that killed around half of Europe's population in the fourteenth century. In the video you will learn about the evolution of a nonpathogenic bacterium that lived in the soil into a deadly bacterium that was spread from fleas to rats and then to humans. Scientists learned about the bacterium and deciphered the genome by examining skeletons from this time period.
Disease in the Fourteenth Century During the fourteenth century a common fear among people was death from disease. Many various diseases claimed the lives of a large portion of the population at this time, including diseases such as typhoid fever, diphtheria, and dysentery. However, it wasn't until the early 1330's that a new fear began, one that is considered one of the greatest disasters in world history - the Black Death.
Epidemics of the Past: Bubonic Plague A children's rhyme tells the tale of a European epidemic. Bubonic plague, or Black Death, first showed up in China more than 2,200 years ago. In the 14th century, this devastating disease killed 25 million people in Europe. Flu-like symptoms were followed by swelling lymph nodes and rings around flea bites. The nervous system collapsed as terror took over and the skin blackened. The smell was terrible as infected corpses were burned. Fleas spread the disease from rats.
Health in the 17th Century Diseases were easily spread in the Middle Ages because people did not know much about hygiene. Learn about early beliefs that the human body was ruled by four humors. Read about various cures used in the 17th century and find out why doctors used leeches for treatment. The use of herbs to treat illness is discussed and advances in medical treatment are explained. There is also information about the great plague, superstitions and why it was difficult for scientists to investigate the human body.
How Plague Works Squalid medieval conditions were perfect for the spread of the plague. Death tolls rose as neither quarantines nor persecution stopped the spread. The culprit was Yersinia pestis, a bacterium spread by fleas and rats. Influenza, Ebola, anthrax, and HIV struck as pandemics even in modern times. The plague killed 100 million in the 6th century and a third of Europe in the 14th century. It struck as an epidemic in London in the 16th century.
Medicine in the Middle Ages One of the important ways that art and medicine are related is in the way that our knowledge of the history of medicine is enhanced through the artistic depictions of diseases and medical practices from the past. This web site provides twenty-one digital images of works of art related to medicine during the middle ages. There is also an excellent short essay that provides insightful commentary on the works of art and their relevance to medicine.
Medieval Hospitals of London Brought to you by Gresham College, this video lecture looks at the beginnings of hospitals in London during the medieval period. The options to access the information include watching the video, listening to the audio version or reading the transcript. Professor William Ayliffe describes what a medieval hospital was and how these hospitals were originally intended to provide spiritual care, not medical care. Learn about the many types of hospitals and about the functions of different hospitals.
Mystery of the Black Death: Clues and Evidence In the isolated village of Eyam, everyone was exposed to the plague. Yet, some survived the epidemic. Something in them provided immunity so that the plague bacteria couldn't hijack the white blood cells. By 1665, Eyam was keeping detailed records of who lived and died. Dr. Stephen O'Brian collected DNA samples from the descendants of plague survivors. Fourteen percent of those tested had the delta 32 mutation.
On the Trail of the Black Death Nomadic tribes didn't have a lot of contact with others to spread diseases. As cities and empires arose, virulent organisms could spread far and wide before dying out. War and world trade opened the door into Europe for the Black Death. Bubonic plague was spread by rats on ships, but what if the Black Death wasn't the plague? Perhaps it was a virus. Explore research into a mutation found in the modern-day descendents of plague survivors from Eyam, a village that voluntary quarantined itself.
Pain and Medieval Medicine Celebration of or resigned acceptance of pain seems to be the common attitudes during the Middle Ages. At this web site about pain from the Wellcome Trust there is information about how religion permeated all spheres of Western medieval life including medicine. Find out about newly established schools of medicine during this period of history and read about the nature of pain and the balance of the four bodily humors. Relief from pain is also discussed.
Renaissance: What Inspired This Age of Balance and Order? The Renaissance Period was a time of great discovery and reflection. William Shakespeare began writing beautiful prose. Art was blossoming and becoming more accepted. Technology was beginning. All of this occurred on the tailwinds of the great and devastating Black Plague. Here you will find tremendous resources of the Renaissance period.
The Black Death The Black Death struck England in the 14th century. Weakened by war and hunger, people were vulnerable to an epidemic. Busy trade routes carried the rats and fleas that spread the disease. Half of the people in England, Wales, Ireland, and Wales died. The Black Death killed over 3 million people. Find out what caused the plague. Doctors didn't know how to stop it. The types of plague that infected the lungs and blood were especially deadly.
The Black Death Medieval sanitation was poor at best. Dirt floors, flea-infested rushes or hay for mattresses, and chamber pots being emptied on the streets made cities filthy places full of disease. Water was polluted, so people drank wine even if they were young. Only the wealthy could afford doctors, but barber-surgeons would pull a tooth or amputate a limb. Apothecaries and healers provided herbal medicines. In the mid-14th century, more than one-third of Europe died on the Black Death.
The Black Death, 1348 The Black Death spread from the East into Europe in 1348, beginning an epidemic worse than any previously known to the Europeans. Three forms of the plague attacked in different ways. Bubonic plague caused large tumors or swellings, and was spread by fleas and rats. Pneumonic plague affected the lungs and was spread in the air. Septicemic plague affected the blood. Panic resulted, as no one knew how to prevent this communicable disease, and no treatment was available.
The Black Death Actually Improved Public Health Explore the impact of the Black Death on public health in Europe. Millions died, but living conditions and lifespans improved in the two centuries following the medieval epidemic. The devastation transformed demographics in London. The epidemic and its aftermath were horrifying, but led to improvements in public health. Birth rates showed little change, but diets improved. A smaller population meant lower food prices and higher wages.
The Black Death: The Greatest Catastrophe Ever Sixty percent of Europe's population died in the Black Death, a spread of bubonic plague in the mid-14th century. Deep pits were dug at all the church cemeteries, and each held many bodies with a layer of dirt added each day. Letters and chronicles tell of the personal tragedies of those who buried spouses or children. The disease was spread by rats that lived in houses and on ships. Infected fleas bit humans after the rats in a colony died. In a few days, victims fell ill.
The Great Plague (1644-1666) The Great Plague, also known as the Black Death or bubonic plague, is the topic of discussion in this report. More terrible than the previous outbreaks of plague in London, the Great Plague started in the poorest areas of London and this report provides you with the details on how it was transmitted and spread. Information on the treatment of plague victims demonstrates the misinformation about the plague that existed during the seventeenth century. The symptoms of the plague are described
The Great Plague of London Rats and the fleas they carried brought bubonic plague to London in 1665. Thinking it might be spread by dogs or cats, the mayor ordered the animals to be killed. He didn't know it was spread by rats and that would only make it worse. Most rich people left the city, but some stayed to write about the plague or help people. Learn about quarantines and find out how people tried to clean the air and keep from catching the plague. One in five Londoners died in the Great Plague.
The Middle Ages: The Black Death At this web site you will learn about the Black Death from its eruption in the Gobi desert in 1320 through the middle ages. Learn how the disease spread through Europe into Asia where more that 7,000 people per day were dying of the Black Death in Cairo alone. What were the population, economic, and cultural losses that can be attributed to the plague? What forms did it take? What measures were taken to fight the plague? Did it reoccur? Learn more here.
The Onset of the Black Death, was Described by Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375) Italian Poet and author Biovanni Boccaccio wrote a book The Decameron, that was about the Black Death, an illness that took the lives of thousands of people. One third of the population of Europe died during this plague in 1347 A.D. The text you will find here is part of the Internet Medieval Source Book, a collection of copy-permitted texts related to medieval history. You can read a large part of Bocaccio's Decameron on this site.
The Past, Present and Future of the Bubonic Plague - Sharon N. DeWitte In the 14th century, the bubonic plague killed about 20% of the Earth's human population. In some parts of Europe, half the population of a city or country died in a few years. The plague continues to claim lives, but the number of deaths is much smaller. Investigate the Black Death and find out what scientists learned. Yersimnia pestis had been around and causing disease for centuries.
The Plague The Great Plague struck London in 1665. Thousands died in a single week from the bubonic plague as an epidemic raged through the city that summer. The germs that caused plague were spread by fleas and rats. Traders and people running from the plague brought it from London to other cities. About 75% of the villagers in Eyam died when they volunteered to put their town under quarantine to keep the plague from spreading. Learn about cures and public health measures as people tried to avoid.
What is Epidemic and How it Occurs? In an epidemic, a lot of people get sick from the same disease. Epidemics were very common before people knew how germs spread. They still happen today if people live in crowded places or don't have clean water. Smallpox and plague killed millions of people. World travel in the Middle Ages brought deadly diseases to new lands. Plague traveled to Europe on ships, and explorers brought smallpox to the Americas. Fleas and rats helped spread the plague.
Links and summaries courtesy of WebPath Express.