The Black Death: Causes and Reactions Research Paper

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The black Death was a global plague pandemic in Europe that lasted very long. Millions of people have died because of this pandemic. The plague was called the Black Death because the bodies of the dead quickly turned black, and the color terrified people. This paper discusses the causes of the Black Death, human contribution to the spread of the disease, and describes the responses to the Black Death.

The emergence of the black Death was influenced solely by medical reasons caused by the economic crisis. It has nothing to do with people’s beliefs, magic, or other reasons. When the European economy was experiencing difficulties, the number of people in this part of the Earth increased markedly. Large cities were growing their residents, and people had no time to provide themselves with living conditions. After some time, the economic downturn began, which reduced workers’ jobs, productivity, and wages (Snowden, 2019). These reasons have led to the poverty of the inhabitants of all of Europe. In other words, the population grew, but there were no jobs, and people began to starve. Accordingly, hunger and a noticeable increase in the population led to unsanitary conditions, which is why the plague arose, which received its name as the Black Death.

The plague should be referred to as an animal disease since the epicenter comes from animals. Rodents that directly connect with the Earth are carriers of infection since it is underground where unexplored phenomena and catastrophes are located. However, humanity can affect the spread of the plague if it interacts with animal rodents. It can be hunters and other people who have skins in their interests. It is also possible that the rats got close to the people’s residence and began settling in their area (Snowden, 2019). Moreover, due to the economic problems of humanity, unsanitary conditions and hunger occurred, and people’s immunity weakened, which also affected the spread of the epidemic of the Black Death. On top of that, people had to interact with the soil. It also accelerated the spread of the Black Death.

The very first reaction of people to the epidemic is to put cities and other areas in order and clean up. The first suspicion of people on the appearance of the Black Death is unpleasant odors in European cities. The authorities, as well as the society itself, began to take sanitary measures. The corpses began to be buried very quickly. People swept the streets and stopped slaughtering cattle. People lit bonfires made of aromatic pine wood to bring down the unpleasant smell. People themselves began to put different aromas on their necks and carry vinegar. In addition, people have practically stopped leaving the house, closing doors and windows, and cleaning (Snowden, 2019). Humanity began to think of the fact that the epidemic virus got on the clothes of infected people. Because of this, those people who were in contact with the deceased tried to wear thick clothes that covered the whole body. These people were doctors, priests, and other ministers. Moreover, people began to think about the fact that infection is Black Death. It depends not only on external factors like air or clothing but also on the body. In this regard, people have started to strengthen their health. They began to be less stressed and try to eat regularly and correctly (Snowden, 2019).

In conclusion, the cause of the Black Death was unsanitary conditions and hunger caused by economic problems. People interacting with rodent animals have caused the spread of the epidemic. In addition, the economic downturn and unemployment also caused the spread of the plague. People began to carry out general cleaning to get rid of the pandemic and pay more attention to their health.

Reference

Snowden, F. M. (2019). Epidemics and society: From the black death to the present. Yale University Press.

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