jan 1, 1348 - Black Death

Description:

|1348|

The Black Death reached England and killed 1/3 of the population. It was actually a bubonic plague which was transmitted by fleas which lived on rat. Symptoms included: Swelling of glands into 'buboes' filled with puss, fever, chills, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea.

At the time people believed the Black Death was caused by:
- Religion
- Astrology
- Miasma
- Volcanoes
- The Four Humors
- Outsiders

They tried to prevent it by:
- Praying and fasting to repent their sins
- Clearing up rubbish to prevent bad smells
- Not smelling toilets and other bad smells
- Keeping air moving (e.g. letting birds fly around the house or lighting candles)
- Carrying herbs and spices to make 'good air'
- Not letting unknown people to enter the village

They tried to treat it by:
- Praying and holding lucky charms
- Cutting open buboes to drain the puss
- Eating cold things and having cold baths
- Holding bread against the buboes and burying them in the ground

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