Ahliyah Williams
Dr. Hinks
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History of Plagues
Plagues run down a long lineage of historical events through world history. The Black Death, The Great Plague of London, and The Great Plague of Marseille are just three of many plagues which appeared from societal/ cultural factors that have happened throughout history. Current things such as technological and human interventions have had a huge effect on public health in today’s world and on the spread of infectious diseases and even has had an impact on the appearance of plagues in the modern century.
Different plagues throughout history have been impacted based on societal and cultural impacts. The Black Death, The Great Plague of London, and The Great Plague of Marseille are just three of many plagues that have been highly affected by societal factors. The Black Death plague had an effect on society. One effect that the plague had on society was that Jews were persecuted during the Black Death, believed to be the cause of the plague, being that Jews already were socially hated because Jews gained political and social status. The Great Plague of London forced people to stay in their homes away from other people in hopes to not catch the bubonic plague, not even that, many people were sick by the bed and ill in their own homes. This had a great impact on businesses and the act of one’s daily life because no one wanted to socialize with others. Samuel Pepys wrote, “the plague [is] making us cruel as dogs to one another”. Lastly, The Plague of Marseille being the last of Europe’s bubonic plague outbreaks. In attempts to stop the plague from further spreading, a huge wall was built that stopped any communication between the Province and Marseille. The death penalty was even given to anyone that had communication between the two places. This is a huge impact of the plague on society.
Technology has had many improvements in the spread of infectious diseases. Technology has been the pro of the factors on the spread of infectious diseases. Improvements in sanitation have especially been effective in preventing diseases from spreading. One of the technological advances that have been discovered in the making of an antimicrobial paint to kill bacteria, fungi, and viruses that caused diseases. It can disinfect homes, businesses, and health departments that may contain “super-bugs” that have killed around 88,000 deaths a year in the United States. Another beneficial With that, there have been many negative factors on the spread of infectious diseases. Human interactions such as climate change have had a negative effect on the spread of infectious disease. Particularly warm temperatures have impacted the spread of diseases, says Catherine Griffin from Science World Report. In fact, temperature increases in the water due to climate change have stressed corals allowing them to release infections from fungi and bacteria. Large populations have been on a continuous growth spurt and have been a major leading cause to the spread of infectious diseases.
In conclusion, plagues have been around for many years. Society and culture have been a result and even has been the reason why these plagues are happening. Plagues throughout history have affected the way that people have communicated, been racially profiled, and even has had an effect on businesses like in The Great Plague of London. Infectious disease has also played a role in many factors such as technology and climate change. Plagues and infectious diseases have been so significant in world history because it not only caused deaths in so many populations but starts of new, potentially deadly factors like climate change and the effects of large populations.
References
- Great Plague of Marseille. The Marseille City of Culture.
The Great Plague. BBC
- Carol. Population Growth and the Spread of Diseases. Population of Education.
- Evan Andrews. 6 Devastating Plagues. HISTORY.
Black Death Jewish Persecutions. Wikipedia.
Breiman. Impact of Technology on the Emergence of Infectious Diseases. The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health.
- Infectious Disease Prevention Technologies Make List of Top Innovations. Informa.
- Griffin. Climate change affects disease spread: The need to forecast. Cary Institute.
Johnson. The Great Plague 1665 – the Black Death. The historic UK.