1 janv. 1348 - The Black Death

Description:

The Black Death was a devastating pandemic of bubonic and pneumonic plague that affected Asia and Europe in the mid-1300's. It arrived in Europe from ships at a Sicilian port, and spread rapidly throughout the continent, killing 20 million - one third of Europe's population. The disease was terrifyingly contagious, and symptoms included: large black buboes that seeped blood and pus, vomiting, diarrhoea, chills, fever, terrible aches and pains, rashes, blisters, fits, migraines, unconsciousness, and death.
To treat the disease, people used the ideas of Hippocrates and Galen, such as rubbing herbal remedies on the buboes, or trying to purge the patients of excess humours by bloodletting or bursting the boils. People also used lucky charms, repentance, and self-punishment (flagellants were common during the pandemic).
Due to a lack of medical knowledge in the 14th century, people did not know how the disease spread and therefore took ineffective action against it. Influenced by the miasma theory, people took to cleaning the streets, carrying fragrances close to their nose, and burning herbs and spices. The clothes of the contaminated were burned.

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