The Black Death

While doing tonight's reading, it briefly mentioned The Plague. I decided to look more into this.

The Black Death reached the shores of Italy by 1348, and within three years it had killed almost 50% of European population. The main form of the plague was the Bubonic Plague. Victims suffered swelling and the growth of tumors on their neck, armpits, and groin that grew to the size of an apple. These symptoms signified that the victim only had a week left before the disease killed them. The Bubonic Plague was spread by fleas that attached themselves to rats and then to humans, infecting the human. Another form of the Plague during the time was the Pneumonic Plague. It infected the lungs and respiratory system. After being infected, victims had only a day or two left. The Pneumonic Plague was spread by simply breathing the air of one who had already been infected.

The Plague also had large effects on the social life of the Europeans. Some decided to shut themselves away in their own homes. Isolated. Drinking and eating only the finest quality product in order to make sure they didn't become infected by the disease. They passed their time playing music and other similar activities. Others dealt with it quite differently. They drank, and joked , and were merry. They believed they could avoid the disease in doing so. They fulfilled any desire they had, and enjoyed life as best as possible. They could enter other people's homes who has died, or had fled because of the plague. The home would then become theirs. Even though they were staying very active, they avoided contact with infected citizens as much as possible.

The disease was killing hundreds of thousands. Corpses filled the streets and homes. Everyday "porters" would remove corpses from homes and lay them next to the street. The bodies were later picked up and brought to the church and cemetery. So many were dying, in fact there wasn't enough room, or time to give each person a proper burial and their own grave. Huge trenches were dug, and bodies were heaped into them by the hundreds. Mass burials like this were conducted every hour of each day.