It can be argued that there is no other most influential disease in history. There were 3 pandemic waves of plague. The first was in 542 A.D under Emperor Justinian. The second was in 1347 during the medieval ages. That plague was aptly named “The Black Death”. Finally, there was the third wave in 1894 which was the Bubonic or modern plague. In the first wave, the plague was spread via fleas and rats to human hosts. Soldiers brought back the disease from conquering wars under the empire. The second plague, The Black Death, killed ~20-30% of the Eurasian population very quickly. People would collect mounds of rotting cadavers in mass graves. It killed so quickly that people were not able to dispose of the bodies fast enough. The final wave came initially in China in 1855 and spread to Hong Kong by 1896. In a 30 year period, more than 12 million died. What factors contributed to the spread of these plagues? What was the response and effects of these deadly diseases?
In general, the plague created fear and panic spread. During the plague in the medieval times, they thought miasma was the cause for the plague. As a result, many people refused to bury the dead and so the Becchini (Brotherhood of Gravediggers) would ride into town to ransack plague victims’ homes then charge a hefty fee to cart away the many corpses that littered the streets. Many factors or people were blamed for the cause/spread of the disease. One particular group were the Jews. People believed that the Jews were bent on world domination and were poisoning wells of Christian towns. As a result, thousands were slaughtered. The spread of the Black Death was aided due to the hygiene and lifestyle of those in that time. Many people lived with their animals in their house nearby and rats ran rampant. Many people cooked with clay pots and utensils but after the plague epidemic, used more expensive metal. Social classes began to blend due to aristocracy and nobility being killed off and due to the general apathy that followed the plague. Two popular uprisings, La Jacquerie in France in 1358 and the Peasant’s Revolt in England in 1381 followed the Black Death. The plague was also known to be a contributor to the downfall of feudalism and the rise of the mercantile class. Another societal factor that the Black Death contributed to was the emergence of plague hospitals to care for the sick and the use of quarantine and confinement.
Plague is still prominent today (although not as it once was). It was first introduced into the United States in 1900 by rat-infested steamships from Asia. Epidemics occurred in port cities. From rats, in transferred to domestic animals and animals commonly used on farms for work and food (cattle, horses, etc.). Any animal can be infected by plague such as squirrels, dogs, mice and rabbits. This began the spread in the western part of the country. It is believed that rats and their fleas serve as long-term reservoirs for the plague since they do not get killed off by it as quickly. Transmission to humans occurs by flea bites, contact with contaminated fluids or tissue and infectious droplets (coughing, sneezing). Today, plague is most commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. The reason for the spread in Madagascar is due to the state of the country- millions in poverty, poor health care and hygiene, living with animals in homes and burial practices involving un-burying the dead to consult with them
HR: class notes, resources provided by Dr. Hinks, http://www.brighthubeducation.com/history-homework-help/88775-social-effects-of-the-black-death/