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Watch this video for a comprehensive overview of the history of the bubonic plague.

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Listen to this fun and informational song detailing the spread of the bubonic plague set to the music of "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani.

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Black Death ("Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani)

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Read this interesting article about the creative ways people tried to cure the bubonic plague.

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With the Crossrail excavations of the Bedlam burial ground excavations in the news, we are reminded of the thousands of Londoners who died during the Great Plague of London (1665-1666). But did you know that the plague still exists, and that the most recent case of outbreak happened last summer in China?

The first occurrence of bubonic plague happened in 1348-1349, which was the first of many outbreaks. Many questions still remain as to the exact nature of the plague, which - if answered - could help to fight it now. For this reason, archaeologists are planning to extract DNA from the Bedlam skeletons to learn about the disease and how to fight it.

That's all well and good for the unlucky few who might catch the plague now, but when the first plague victims got sick, they didn't have archaeologists to help them find a cure. Looking back now, medieval attempts to cure the plague are both tragic and amusing. Here are ten tried and tested medieval methods that will definitely NOT cure bubonic plague.

1. Good smells

People believed that the disease was airborne and they could somehow ward it off if they carried sweet smelling perfumes or flowers with them. They couldn't.

You might recognize an image of a plague doctor with his striking beaked mask - the beak was filled with scented substances like ambergris, mint or cloves - at the very least this helped mask the smell of the patients.

2. Bad smells

Well if good smells didn't work then maybe bad smelling things would serve to ward off the plague? What sick person wouldn't want to smear themselves with onions or hang around sewers?!

3. Avoiding Baths

Bathing was thought to weaken the heart so people were warned against cleanliness - someth ing which would have gone a long way to contain the disease. oops.

4. Lancing the Buboes

Both painful and ineffective, draining the pus from sufferers' sores did more harm than good. First, it could infect the bloodstream and cause septicemia secondly, letting the pus out would make the spread of disease faster.

5. Bleeding

A common cure-all in medieval times, bleeding was used to balance fluids in the body and was thought to restore health. In the case of the plague it only served to cause infection, spread germs and, weaken an already deathly ill person - way to go!

6. Scourging

Many believed that the plague was a punishment from god, this lead to sufferers flagellating themselves as a form of penance - yet another 'cure' that opened wounds and spread the disease!

7. Theriac

This concoction with ancient origins was a mixture of treacle, various herbs, leaves and even viper flesh and opium. It was left to ferment for several years to increase its potency. This would be used as a salve or, if patients could somehow stomach it, it would be eaten.

8. Drinking mercury and arsenic

Indeed, mercury and arsenic were thought to be able to cure sickness and it was recommended that these substances be consumed in various potions and remedies. At the very least the poor patients were put out of their misery sooner.

9. Freshly plucked chickens

That's right, from what had to be a cruel joke, some people recommended that sufferers strap chickens (alive or dead) to their swollen buboes. This was supposed to draw out the poisons into the chicken ... interesting theory.

10. Powdered unicorn horn

People were so desperate for a cure they tried anything, unicorns horns were well known in myth to have magical healing properties so this magical remedy was an easy sell to a dying population.

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" Got the plague? 10 ways to cure it (or at least try)

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The first occurrence of bubonic plague happened in 1348-1349, which was the first of many outbreaks. Many questions still remain as to the exact nature of the plague, which - if answered - could help to fight it now.

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Read this poem about plague doctors during the outbreak in Europe.

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View this map detailing the spread of the bubonic plague across Europe.

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Interact with this timeline to explore the history of the bubonic plague.

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Black Death J. Paul Getty Museum (object no. 86.PC.463); digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program

The Black Death pandemic devastated Europe between 1347 and 1351. This pandemic took a proportionately greater toll of life than any other known epidemic or war up to that time.

The Black Death is believed to have been the result of plague caused by infection with the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Most scientists think that this bacterium was first passed from infected rodents to humans through the bite of fleas. Modern genetic analysis shows that the strain of Y. pestis introduced during the Black Death is the ancestor to all existing Y. pestis strains known to cause disease in humans. Thus, the origin of modern plague epidemics lies in the medieval period.

Black Death: map Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The Black Death originated in China and Central Asia and was transmitted to Europe in 1347 when a Eurasian army attacked a trading port in Crimea. The army catapulted plague-infested corpses into the town to spread the infection. From this trading port, ships carried the disease westward to Mediterranean ports, and from there the disease quickly spread inland.

The pandemic was called the Black Death because of the black spots that developed on the skin of many victims.

The Black Death was thought to be a combination of two plagues: bubonic and pneumonic. Bubonic plague does not spread directly from person to person but from rodent to person or person to person by infected fleas. Pneumonic plague is highly contagious and passes from person to person through droplets from coughs or sneezes.

Living conditions in medieval towns and overcrowding in housing encouraged the spread of disease. Poor sanitation in cities created breeding grounds for rats that carried the disease.

There were recurrences of the plague in 1361-63, 1369-71, 1374-75, 1390, and 1400.

Death rates from the Black Death varied from place to place. The disease spread more quickly in populated towns than in the countryside.

Monasteries were devastated by the disease, which passed quickly through the community since monks lived in close contact with one another. They also had many visitors passing through, allowing for more chances of it entering the community.

Those with money and power and the means to leave the areas affected were not immune from the plague. For instance, King Alfonso XI of Castile and Joan, the daughter of English king Edward III, died from the disease.

Black Death: flagellants© Photos.com/Getty Images Plus

Some people thought the disease was a manifestation of God's revenge. Flagellants, a medieval religious group, whipped themselves while praying for forgiveness. The popularity of these groups rose in Europe during the Black Death.

The primary method of fighting off the plague was to isolate known or suspected cases as well as any person who had been in contact with those affected. The isolation period was about 14 days but then later increased to 40 days.

As a result of the Black Plague, new sanitary systems were created by public officials, including isolation hospitals and disinfection procedures. Sanitation improvements also included the development of clean water supplies, garbage and sewage disposal, and food inspection.

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List of important facts regarding the Black Death, pandemic that ravaged Europe during the 14th century. The Black Death originated in Asia and was transmitted to Europe by 1347. One-fourth to one-third of the European population, or a total of 25 million people, died during the outbreak.

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View this descriptive photograph of the plague doctors clothing and read through the similarities to Covid-19.

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In searching for some medieval pictures for a slide show presentation on constructing a gambeson, I stumbled upon this descriptive photograph of a plague doctor of the 17th century. Immediately, a quote attributed to Mark Twain popped into my head: History doesn't repeat itself but it often rhymes.

Last year, the schools closed down for the Covid 19 Pandemic, and people sobbed about the tragedy of it all, crying out The sky is falling! The sky is falling! In searching for photos of early 20th century Houston school buildings for a project, I stumbled upon this historical rhyme:

1937 School children learning with the home radio during the polio epidemic

I often discover historical rhymes. Yes, perhaps I unconsciously search for them because they give me a calming perspective. After the devastating Harvey storm in 2017, I watched again an original video made by Thomas Edison of a historical rhyme, the 1900 Galveston Great Storm, a hurricane that killed upwards of 6,000 people. Current reports of devastating results of climate change historically rhyme with the devastation of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Historical rhymes of war related tragedies stretch across the ages: War is Hell in any place, time, or language.

By pointing out today's Covid Pandemic with the medieval Plague Doctor as yet another historical rhyme, I do not imply that our tragedies are inconsequential. Of course not. But we can apply the lessons learned from the past. Mark Earnest, M.D., Ph.D., concluded his NEJM article entitled, On Becoming a Plague Doctor, with this history lesson learned:
... I imagined what it would have been like to care for patients during the Black Death. I realized I'd been far too hard on my predecessors from the Middle Ages. A 14th-century plague doctor faced risks far higher than mine. Of the 18 men registered as plague doctors in Venice in 1348, five died. Twelve fled.¹ I can scarcely imagine how terrifying it must have been to live in a city terrorized by bubonic plague. Perhaps my error was imagining that patients were more terrorized than comforted by the arrival of such a fearsome figure. Maybe that's just wrong - maybe patients were comforted that someone had the commitment to set aside his own fear and come to them in their moment of need. Perhaps they were just grateful they were no longer suffering alone.
Yes, I like historical rhymes. They calm me. They remind me that we have been there, done that, and came through on the other side.

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In searching for some medieval pictures for a slide show presentation on constructing a gambeson, I stumbled upon this descriptive photograph of a plague doctor of the 17th century. Immediately, a quote attributed to Mark Twain popped into my head: History doesn't repeat itself but it often rhymes.

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Examine this short graphic detailing the bubonic plague and its improvements to the modern economy.

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(TN 7.37) The Black Death p.2 — Zeke’s Guide to History and the Humanities

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Complete this Bubonic Plague Jeopardy to review the origins, symptom, spread, cures and impacts of the Black Death.

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View this photograph depicting art inspired by the Black Death. What do YOU notice?

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Black Death and centuries of artists reckoning with mortality - Artblog

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This third edition of “Art Following Epidemics” by Art Historian Andrea Kirsh presents a snapshot of important works on paper following the Black Death and the infiltration of death imagery in European art for more than two centuries following the plague.

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Read this article detailing the bubonic plague's impact on the human population.

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Read this short informational text describing the origins and journey of the Bubonic Plague.

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Scroll through this detailed image gallery displaying art from the heavily impacted plague years. Read the short descriptions below.

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Image Gallery

English School, The Black Death, 1348.
Source: Scholars Resource: Bridgeman Art Library

A street during the Great Plague in London, 1665, with a death cart and mourners.
Source: Wellcome Library, London

Hans Holbein, Death and the Noblewoman, c. 1538, woodcut.
Source: Scholars Resource: Bridgeman Art Library

Hans Holbein, Death and the Physician, c. 1538, woodcut.
Source: Scholars Resource: Bridgeman Art Library

Two men, supposedly George Thomson holding the knife, dissecting a body covered with plague marks.
Incense is burning in a bowl to camouflage the stench of the body. Engraving circa 1666.
Source: Wellcome Library, London

The plague of Florence in 1348, as described in Boccaccio's Decameron.
Source: Wellcome Library, London

©2017 John Martin Rare Book Room, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, 600 Newton Road, Iowa City, IA 52242-1098
Banner Image: Pieter Bruegel, The Triumph of Death (detail), c. 1562, oil on panel, 117 x 162 cm, Museo del Prado, Madrid

Acknowledgements to Alice M. Phillips for her work editing the original exhibit material and subsequent web design.

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English School, The Black Death, 1348. Source: Scholars Resource: Bridgeman Art Library A street during the Great Plague in London, 1665, with a death cart and mourners. Source: Wellcome Library, London Hans Holbein, Death and the Noblewoman, c. 1538, woodcut. Source: Scholars Resource: Bridgeman Art Library Hans Holbein, Death and the Physician, c.

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Travel through Europe and experience the route of the Black Death.

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A map that shows how one of the most devastating diseases of all time killed half of Medieval Europe.

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Read this "I Survived" Text based on the history of the Bubonic Plague.

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The Black Death was a pandemic of unimaginable propotions, taking the lives of 75 - 200 million people worldwide. Lauren Tarshis’s story of one girl surviving the plague pulses with terror, action, and hope.