Disease as a connector- The Black Death summary (GES110)
2 views 0 purchase
Course
GES 110 (GES110) (GES110)
Institution
University Of Pretoria (UP)
An in-depth summary of the 'Disease as a connector- The Black Death'. All the necessary information from the prescribed reader as well as lecture slide have been incorporated, thus providing you with a perfect set of notes for semester tests and exams.
Disease as a connector-The Black Death
● The nursery rhyme “Ring Around The Rosie”:
○ First published in 1881 but there is speculation that it was sung as early as
1500 – referring to the Black Death of 1348/1349 to 1352.
○ Other scholars argue that it refers more specifically to another outbreak
of plague in 1665.
○ The song describes:
■ A rosy red rash in the shape of a ring on the skin
■ The pouches of posies (filled with sweet smelling herbs that were
carried to ward off the evil smell)
■ The ashes refer to the cremation of plague victims.
● Replacing ashes with a-tishoo in later versions is believed to
refer to sneezing, which was another plague symptom.
● The Black Death/The Bubonic plague, is often referred to as Europe’s ‘greatest
ecological disaster’, or the greatest biomedical disaster in European and possibly
world history.
○ In a very short time (1348-1352) the disease killed hundreds of thousands
of people. (Records are not accurate)
■ Estimated that some European populations fell as much as 70-
80%.
● The term Black Death is believed to have been coined first by Swedish and
Danish scholars in the 16th century.
○ It refers to the black colour of the buboes (these went from rosy red to
black). But it also refers to the horror of the plague.
○ The term however, did not gain popular usage until the 19th century.
■ In 1832, the German doctor, J.F.K Hecker published the ‘Essay on
the Black Death’, referring to the 14th century bubonic plague.
, ■ He wrote this in the context of the outbreak of the cholera
epidemic of the early 1800s.
■ Fears of another epidemic of plague proportions prompted the
study.
■ The essay was translated into English in 1833 – the term Black
Death entered English usage and gained currency.
● Since the 14th century plague, there have been numerous epidemics that have
caused enormous devastation but not on the level of the Black Death.
Diagnosis
● The Black Death was medically and epidemiologically diagnosed five and a half
centuries after it occurred.
○ In 1894 a plague broke out in China, especially Hong Kong.
■ A Swiss microbiologist, Alexandre Yersin, who was working in
French Indo-China went to Hong Kong to examine the infected.
■ He was successfully able to isolate and diagnose the bacillus which
was named after him – yersinia pestis.
■ He also successfully developed a serum for the treatment.
○ In 1896 it spread to Bombay – caused devastation until 1899.
■ From Bombay it spread to port cities in Portugal, Glasgow,
Scotland and Sidney, Australia.
○ It has since been determined that the bubonic plague bacillus is injected
into humans through flea bites.
● It has an incubation period of between 2-8 days.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller erinpoly1. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.37. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.