The Causes Of The Black Death Spreading Throughout Europe And Asia

In the year 1347, a deadly plague struck Europe and Asia and even as far as North Africa. Doctors set out to find what caused the disease and how it could be cured. Meanwhile, religious leaders spoke of how it was a direct punishment of God. Different groups come up with their own way to avoid being killed by one of the biggest pandemics in history. The Black Death spread throughout Europe and Asia because of inaccurate information from medical and religious authorities.

The plague was spread through Europe because of religious leaders. People decided to simply enjoy the life they had left, but without a plausible explanation many people blamed the wrath of God for the bubonic plague. People stopped taking precautions because the only cure and way to be saved was to appease God. The majority of priests stopped performing last rights for people to protect themselves. Some thought that to please God they had to kill those that thought differently. Christians blamed the Jewish leaders for the Black Plague, saying that they poisoned wells and springs. Jews were tortured and put to death, along with other minorities. Other people began whipping themselves and calling themselves flagellants. They travelled to different towns carrying the disease unknowingly to other places.

The plague was spread through Europe because of medical authorities. The people living in this time period had very limited knowledge. They turned to the leaders in the medical field, though there were few medical universities. Teams of doctors scrambled to try to find the cause of the Black Death. In Paris, they came to the conclusion that the Black Death came from poisonous vapors in the sea that were blown in by the wind. Medical facilities gave their advice on how to avoid catching the disease. The Paris Medical Faculty suggested taking less baths and drinking less water. This had the opposite effect and caused people to be weak, making them more susceptible. The doctors also began experimenting with different medical procedures that failed and helped it spread. One common practice was the withdrawing of blood. After all these attempts many doctors gave up, and many refused to treat the victims for fear of their own safety. The doctors were clueless when it came to sanitation. There was improper sewage methods and homes were often cold and damp. These poor conditions allowed it to spread like wildfire.

In conclusion, the Black Death spread throughout Europe and Asia because of inaccurate information from medical and religious authorities. There was a lack of awareness and understanding of the bacteria. With this lack of knowledge, and the terrible events going on around them, people turned to the people they looked up to. They looked to the leaders for help, unfortunately the leaders didn’t know much more than the general populous, leaving them to speculate. These speculations misguided people and ended up allowing for the disease to spread and cause more casualties.

Bibliography

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• D’Agramont, Jacme. Regimen of Protection Against Epidemics. Northeastern Spain: University of Lerida, 1348.