Bubonic Plague Outbreak
...ers had large black swellings in their armpits and groin. Sores called boils and dark bruises covered the body. Others had more severe types of illness, burned with fever, coughed and spat up blood. Within a few days, the stricken people died. As the ship lay at anchor, some black rats scurried of the boat and into the city. In this way the Black Death entered Europe. From there it swept through Italy, and then followed the trade routes to France, Germany, England, and other parts of Europe. The Disease spread rapidly by rats and their fleas. The black rats carried fleas from one area to another. Theses fleas were infested with a bacillus called “Yersinia Pestis”. At that time people did not bathe and most of them even had flies and lies. Also they threw their garbage and sewage into streets. The unsanitary streets became breeding grounds for more rats. The fleas from the rats jumped from person to person and made the spread of the disease easy and in an incredible speed. It also infected other ships that arrived in Venice, Genoa, and Marseilles. From these ports, the plague spread deeper and deeper. It also made its way to the British Isles, Scandinavia and Hungary. Symptoms •Painful swelling called bobues in the lymph nodes, particularly those in the armpits and groin. • Sometimes purplish or blackish spots on the skin. •Extremely high fever, chills, delirium, and in most cases, death. People now started looking for a scapegoat. They blamed the Jews. People said that the Jews had joined together in a conspiracy to kill the Christians. They were accused of bringing the Plague and poisoning the wells. They were pushed out of their homes, buried alive and/or massacred. The ...