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Bubonic Plague Dbq

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The black death, also known as the bubonic plague, swept across Europe in the 14th century. During its time the plague claimed an estimated seventy five million lives. The plague though not longer existant, made a large impact as it was spread rapidly through the population. The plague first arrived in Europe in 1347. It made its first appearance on Genoese trading ships which docked in Sicilian ports with a most deceased crew. Those who were still living, were gravely ill. These sailors were all overcome by fever, unable to eat, and most mysteriously of all, they were covered in oozing black boils. These boils gave their illness a name: The Black Death. Though the ships were immediately turned away, it was too late, this mysterious illness …show more content…

The Great Plague of London claimed seventy five thousand to one hundred thousand lives of their population of four hundred sixty thousand, from 1664 to 1666. The epidemic raged through Cologne and the Rhine from 1666 to 1670, the Netherlands from 1667 to 1669, soon following it subsided in western Europe. This this was followed with outbreaks in North Africa, Poland, Hungary, Austria, and Germany. Malta lost eleven thousand people in 1675, Vienna lost at least seventy six thousand in 1679, and Prague lost eighty three thousand in 1681. Germany also was a victim of the plague’s carnage until it disappeared in Germany in 1683. France saw the end of the plague in 1668. The plague did not make another appearance until it showed itself again in Marseille in 1720, there it claimed at least forty thousand lives. One of the reasons that the Black Death reeked such havoc was because it was so poorly understood. At the time it was thought the illness could be removed from the body by coughing, vomiting, bleeding, sweating or, bowel movements. Some people even turned to witchcraft in an act of desperation. People believed that an affected person could simply “cough up” the germs that were blamed for the plague. People would feed the patients ashes in order to induce coughing and hopefully remove whatever was infecting the …show more content…

“Ring Around the Rosie” is actually an account of the times when the epidemic reigned. The familiar line stating “ring around the rosie” is a reference to the swollen, red rash that people affected by the plague would develop, specifically around the eyes. “A pocket full of posies” refers to how people would carry around fragrant flowers to mask the lingering smell of death that was so familiar. Some herbs were also believed to ward off the illness. The third line “ashes, ashes” refers to people feeding the ill ashes in order to expel the illness. This line is also substituted with “achoo, achoo” also referring to the inhalation of ashes. Finally, the song closes with “we all fall down’ a gentle way of saying everyone’s dead. It is a long debated subject if the song truly is composed about the plague but the evidence is very convincing and lines up rather perfectly. It seems very plausible. Though it seems impossible because of how long it has been since the plague reigned and how safe our earth may seem, scientists are now staging a fair warning: the plague may return to earth. Because of the way that it spreads: from rodents to humans, and can raise and fall so quickly, there is realistically not reason to convey that this could not happen again. It is in fact very possible. If other epidemics can come and go without knowledge of origin, What is to say another can’t do

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