The Black Plague in London
Questions 1. What were the living conditions in London during the Black Plague? 2. How was the economy in London? 3. What was the population in London and How many people died from the plague? 4. What was the consequences and effects of the plague? 5. Who was Louis Pasteur?
Why would the Black Death spread so easily in 14th century London? When the Plague came to London in 1348 there were 100,000 people living in the city. Soon 300 were dying every day. List the reasons why the disease spread so quickly and killed so many.
When the Plague came to London in 1348 there were 100 000 people living in the city. Soon 300 were dying every day. List the reasons why the disease spread so quickly and killed so many. 1. Toilets over the River Thames.
2.
People fishing in the polluted river.
3.
Butchers working in the street.
4.
Food sold in markets on the filthy streets.
5.
Animals kept in pens on the streets.
6.
Toilet waste thrown out of windows.
7.
Open sewers flowing down the street to the Thames.
8.
A man urinating against the wall of a house.
9.
Crowded houses in the city.
10. Animals pulling carts.
Living Conditions • The poor lived in tall stone buildings which were terribly over crowded. They slept on straw pallets with a log for a pillow. Many people lived in dirty unhealthy conditions without clean water, lavatories or bathrooms.
Economic Effects • Surviving workers demanded higher wages. • INFLATION, or rising prices, occurred. • Guilds limited apprenticeships and advancement. • Revolts by peasants and city dwellers exploded.
The Black Plague in England • Population went from 7 million to 2 million. • Brought from merchant ships.
• The plague killed an estimated 100,000 people per year. • The plague allegedly arrived with a merchant carrying a parcel of cloth.
Searching For Answers • Medical doctors couldn’t explain the cause for the plague. The Blame was often placed on the Jewish people. One for the reasons was because they got their water springs rather then from wells, in keeping with the traditional Jewish rules of cleanliness. People thought they were poisoning the well water because they refuse to drink from wells. Jews were often rounded up and burned at the stake.
Consequences and Effects • Prices and Wages rose. • Farming land turned to pasturing. • Peasants moved from the country to the towns. • The Black Death was therefore also responsible for the decline of the Feudal system • People became disillusioned with the church and its power and influence went into decline.
Consequences • Due to the food shortages and closure of businesses those who were not struck down by the Bubonic plague often resorted to stealing from the dead bodies. The penalties for such thieves were thrown into the pits, dead or alive, with their victims.
The End of the Plague The Great Fire of London destroyed most crowded housing. At the same time the plague slowed down, probably because most of the infected died. After the fire, London was rebuilt with widened streets and basic sewage-drainage systems.
Louis Pasteur • It was 229 years after the Great Plague. In 1894, during an epidemic in China, Louis Pastuer discovered that the source of the disease was the fleas, often found on rats. Therefore, the transmission of the Bubonic Plague was from fleas to humans.
Modern Treatments • • • •
Isolate the patient Trace their movements Destroy the rats. On January 10, 1897 Waldamir Haffkine was the first doctor to invent and test a plague vaccine. • Vaccines includes Sulphonamide (1932) • Today, Vaccines takes too long to be effective in an epidemic.
Is the Black Plague with us today? • We tend to assume that this is not a present day disease. However, we are mistaken. The answer to whether the disease is with us today is Yes, but very few. • About 10-20 people contract the disease each year in the U.S. Our main defense against the disease is Hygiene. Our modern day sewage systems and public health organizations keep the plague to a minimum.
The Black Plague Brochure Objec&ve: Students will be able to develop a 6 panel informa&onal brochure, about a hypothesis for the cause of the Bubonic Plague. Task: Students will be medical examiners from the London Board of Health. They must figure out the cause of a deadly disease which spread and killed millions in London. Students will come up with a hypothesis and informa&onal brochure about the Black Plague.
The Plague Brochure 60 points The Brochure must include the following: • Title Page a picture or Logo. (10pts) • A description of the Black Plague answering: (10pts) • What is the Black Plague? • Where did it come from? • What was the plague’s effect on Europe? • A description of London during the 1300’s. This includes: The living conditions, economy, population rates (before and after the plague) and society. (10pts) • Who discovered the plague? (10 points) • Treatment options in London during the high middle ages. (5 pts) • Modern treatments for the plague. (5 pts) • There must be at least 3 pictures. (6pts) • Neatness and creativity (4 pts)
