Bubonic Plague - The Black Death (dec 21, 1346 – dec 21, 1353)

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The origin of the bubonic plague can be traced back to the early 14th century around 1347. The bubonic plague is caused by certain bacteria found in fleas, where the fleas likely spread their bacteria directly to humans or to rodents. The bacteria can survive for about three weeks, increasing the odds of transmitting the plague. Common symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, especially those in the neck and groin, along with fever, chills, and body aches. It is estimated that over 24 million people contracted the plague and died. The mass death caused temporary peacetime across the world as warring nations were forced to handle the mass death at home. The mass death also sparked an art movement of dancing skeletons, a macabre way to embrace the inevitability of contracting the plague for those who did not have the means to escape.
Identifying symptoms of the plague allowed doctors to explore the concept of contagion. Doctors began to create isolation hospitals for patients with the plague and in Venice doctors created a quarantine of forty days and forty nights for those who had been in contact with the plague. Doctors even created the infamous plague mask with a long beak. These concepts came from the concept of “miasm” which translates to “bad air” which confirms the beginning of our understanding of contagion and how disease spreads. However, the contagion was often attributed to the less fortunate and minorities as the Jewish population was a popular scapegoat for the plague.

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