Bubonic plague or black death
Introduction.
In the most interesting times that we live the word pandemic has come to produce great repelús in people not for anything is a horror that is entrenched from history itself. The black plague or plague (bubonic) called centuries later as "black death". It occurred through ships and people transported by the fateful agents, rats and infected fleas, between goods or in their own bodies, and thus spread the plague, without realizing it.
The bacterium was around homes for a period between 16 and 23 days before the first symptoms of the disease were manifested. They passed between three and five more days until the first deaths occurred, and perhaps one more week until the population did not acquire full awareness of the problem in all its dimension.
The big commercial cities were the main reception spotlights. From them, the plague was transmitted to the Burgos and the nearby villas, which, in turn, radiated evil towards other nearby population nuclei and towards the surrounding field. The plague was considered extinguished in 1361, leaving an estimated amount of more than 85 million people deceased. It has been and is considered the most devastating pandemic in the history of humanity.
Developing.
Towards the mid -century, one of the most catastrophic events in history occurred, I speak of the black plague a disease that spread throughout Europe sowing death and destruction, partly due to the lack of scientific knowledge and living conditions of thepopulation. At the time it was thought that the plague was the product of a divine punishment and the true origin of evil was not known until the end of the 19th century.
This terrible epidemic did not discriminate against anyone and although some people according to trade were more exposed to suffering from this plague, it simply whatever their social status could be infected and end their last days in the most terrifying way, such as Alfonso X King ofCastilla was one of the victims, so nobody was sure.
When some town or city had too many victims, of course, very few would likecity that paid more its salaries.
One of the most effective methods during much of the history of the black plague was lime on tombs. By noticing that the wakes that were accustomed after the death of the patients promoted the expansion of the disease, it was decided to quickly bury those killed in graves in which large amounts of living lime dissolved in water were poured. The most effective methods to combat it were phytosanitary measures such as living lime, fire and better sanitation. This sealed the grave and reduced the expansion of the disease. In addition, all the personal belongings of the sick were burned.
That was known from the plague
The bubonic plague was rightly described as the appearance of high fevers and swelling of the lymph nodes (bubas) of axilas, groin and the retro-auricular zone. According to the individual’s strength, the disease progressed better or worse. More than half of the cases evolved poorly presenting internal bleeding, vomiting, cough and high fever that involved death after a week. There was a mortality rate between 30 and 80%
On the other hand, ignorance about the causes of the plague, led them to make many mistakes, not only in the treatment of the disease, but also in the means to prevent contagion. Medieval medicine was impotent at the plague. The knowledge about her were very precarious and since time of Galen and Hippocrates, there were not many advances in medical knowledge.
Therefore, the treatments prescribed against the black plague, as against other ailments, were based on food, air purification, bleeding and the administration of aromatic herbs based on aromatic herbs and ground -ground stones. To those who contracted the bubonic plague, the doctors opened the bubos, applying substances to neutralize the (poison)
As propagated
This disease would have emerged in Central Asia then passed to Italian cities through maritime activity and then expanded throughout Europe. According to the sources I end more than a third of the European population, and with more than 50 million people around the world becoming one of the darkest episodes in history reaching its maximum point between 1346 and 1347. Although that was not the only time that this outbreak came to Europe.
The bubonic plague or black plague, arrives in a fleet of commercial Italian ships that covered the Black Sea route. The vessels brought among their infected individual crews, as well as the rats that loaded the disease. It is even mentioned, ships that were drifting with all dead crew.
Speculations about its causes
During the Middle Ages, evil was attributed, in the air contaminated by decomposition bodies and supernatural explanations such as the position of the stars, even more common it was the belief of a divine punishment for the sins of humanity as it has been pointed out.
JEWS
Another serious speculation was the one that chose the Jews as guilty of the black plague. Groups were created to end the Jewish communities. Luckily, the Jewish community was also affected and this fact avoided a massacre of such dimensions.However, from Germany to Catalunya, the Jewish aljamas were persecuted, accusing them of poisoning the water of the wells. This was discarded to see that the Jewish population began to contract the plague.
THE GOD’S ANGER
On the other hand, the Church and the moralists believed that the black plague was a manifestation of the wrath of God for the sins of man, so they claimed a moral renewal of society. One of the proposals was a kind of cleaning through pain.Little pilgrimages of men with the naked tors.
In addition to these flagellants, the fears of the time were reflected in the representations of the dance of death, in which a skeleton that represented random death was dancing to young people and adults, rich and poor, all without social distinctions or social distinctions orReligious. On the other hand, the Church also carried out a witch hunt, in which they accused many inhabitants of agreeing with the demon so that everyone was sick, reaching and tortured hundreds of innocent inhabitants.
THE STARS
During the fourteenth century, medicine was content with the classic ancient doctrine, deformed by a theoretical and little experimental dialectic. No one dared, except in Italy and Spain, resort to Jewish and Arabic science openly. On the contrary, to explain the plague, it was preferred to invoke the conjunction of the stars and the bad reputation of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Apparently, they were too together.
Vapors
On the causes of the plague, a lot of results were speculated. Some believed that it was due to a current of air from the ground, and pointed out that recent tremors had released unhealthy vapors from the depths of the planet. In order to scare away these harmful airs, popular remedies began to be used such as aromas and spices vapor touches in the interiors.
Alexandre Yersin and Shibasaburo Kitasato
It was in the nineteenth century that this providentialist vision of evil was exceeded, from an epidemic that ravaged Asia, two bacteriologists in parallel and independent, demonstrated in 1894 that the origin of the plague was associated with a bacterium. They were the Swiss Alexandre Yersin, and the Japanese Kitasato Shibasaburo. The bacterium now bears the name of Yersinia Pestis in honor of one of its discoverers. Yersin isolated the bacillus in a laboratory and demonstrated the relationship between human disease and rat.
From his work it is known that the bacteria affects rodents and the plague is transmitted through the parasites that live in these animals, especially fleas. Which inoculated the bacillus to humans when they chop them, the plague was therefore an evil that passed from animals to humans, something particularly dramatic at an era where coexistence between animals and humans in the same house was common.
His incubation period was between three and five days. The disease was declared suddenly, with high fever, chills, nausea, thirst, physical exhaustion and tremors
Consequences of the black plague
Obviously, the consequences of the black plague were disastrous. Consequences that ravaged both Europe and Asia at a social and economic level. The abandonment of the country.
Reduced the world population of an estimated total of 450 million to between 350 and 375 million. 80 years were needed, and in some more than 150 years, for the population of Europe to recover.
Bubonic plague
First, we would be talking about the bubonic plague, which is a more common type of infection, after a person is bitten by an infected flea, the bloodstream takes bacteria to the lymphatic nodules generating bubones in the English and armpits. Bubones are like capsules full of bacteria multiplying. The viscosity that surrounds the bubones prevents body defenses from acting against bacteria. Soon more bubones appear until they break invading the entire circulatory system. In this state there are multiple hemorrhages and give rise to black spots on the skin. Gangrene, pains, shock and delirium infection. If the plague is not treated before the septic state, death ensues after 3 to 5 days.
Pneumonic plague
Second, pneumonic plague is a type of infection that occurs when the pestis yersinia cells are directly inhaled, or reach the lungs during the bubonic plague. The infection usually passes without symptoms until the last two days of the infective process, in which a large amount of sputum with blood are emitted. In the absence of treatment, death ensues in 2 to 3 days
Septicemic plague
Finally, septicemic plague is a type of infection that implies a rapid dispersion of yersinia pestis throughout the body through the circulatory torrent, without time for the bubones to form. Death usually comes up in a three -day day, so it does not usually have time to be diagnosed until autopsy.
How were the doctors at that time
They were not like other doctors of the time;In other words, many were not professionals and had not received formal training, so it was something like second category doctors or simply did not establish themselves satisfactorily in this profession, some were also young people who sought to make their way in this race.
This doctors differentiated themselves from the general doctors completely and were known as municipal or community doctors of the plague. Even so, it was possible that in the same town or city both doctors could perform in places like France and the Netherlands, they could not have any training as doctors and they were simply empirical that went practically from a completely different trade to devoting themselves to medicine.
In addition, these doctors prescribed what they considered protective and antidotes of the plague, registered wills and carried out autopsia.
MEGE MEDICAL CLOTHING
The uniform included an aromatic wax covered, the panties stuck in the boots, the shirt stuck in the pants and a hat and some gloves made of goat leather. The doctors of the black plague wore a rod with which they could play (or defend themselves from) the victims. The hat was particularly unusual: the doctors of the black plague wore glasses and a mask with a 15 centimeter nose, in the shaped of a bird peak, full of perfume and with only two holes, one on each side of the nostrils, butthat it was enough to breathe and transport in the air that the impression of the (herbs) placed on the tip of the beak is breathed.
ELIMINATION OF THE PESTER
Seeing the measures taken, it is hard to imagine how the elimination of the black plague arrived. However, after years of struggle, the black plague was referring. New hygiene measures were applied that citizens adopted, above all, regarding fecal waters, creating pipes to avoid rats increase. The quality of food also increased, which helped millions of citizens of Europe and Asia do not eat infected or poor condition.
What did people do with the dead
The dead were collected in a car, and family members were the ones who took the body to take them. This was not liked by many people, because I thought it was disrespectful with the bodies;But it was the best way to get rid of bodies. The bodies were easily recognizable, because they wore the mark of the plague, unpleasant injuries on the skin. The car ended full of corpses, which were thrown into a collective grave far from the cities. Once the bodies were introduced into the well, it was closed.
The treatments
To treat the plague, antibiotics such as streptomycin, gentamycin, doxycycline or cyprophloxacin are used. Generally, oxygen, intravenous liquids and respiratory assistance are also needed. Also people with pneumonic plague should be kept away from caregivers and other patients. People who have had contact with someone infected with this type of plague should be carefully monitored and receiving antibiotics as a preventive measure.
In the past, pest vaccines were widely used but currently, due to the appearance of effective antibiotics, interest in vaccination has been reduced. Vaccines are not recommended as immediate protection against an outbreak. Vaccination is only recommended as a prophylactic measure for high -risk groups, for example, laboratory personal who are constantly exposed to the risk of pollution
conclusion.
The black plague has been the greatest natural disaster that Europe and Europeans have known throughout its history. In the Middle Ages, the medical advances we have today did not exist and absolutely no one was able to find a logical reason to the natural disaster. Prayers, flagellating processions and persecution of the Jews were not very successful in their fight against the disease. With all the raised we can stay with the hopeful data that humanity, throughout history it has faced different pandemics, and although sometimes it has paid a high price it has always surpassed them.
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