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Bring Out Your Dead!

Bring Out Your Dead!. The Bubonic Plague. Impact of the Black Death in Europe. Demography: 1/3 of the population died (20 million) Displacement of the population Jews fled to Eastern Europe Peasants settled abandoned lands Families abandoned Cities grew as economic centers. In Europe.

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Bring Out Your Dead!

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  1. Bring Out Your Dead! The Bubonic Plague

  2. Impact of the Black Death in Europe • Demography: • 1/3 of the population died (20 million) • Displacement of the population • Jews fled to Eastern Europe • Peasants settled abandoned lands • Families abandoned • Cities grew as economic centers

  3. In Europe • Politically: • Peasant Revolt of 1381 in England (political instability) • Power of monarchies increased as countries became urbanized: security • Traditional authority figures challenged • Scapegoats

  4. Still in Europe • Economically: • Wages increased for labor • Wealth distribution changed • Monarchies increased tax base & armies • Prices increased & commercial activity decreased • Extended work days (clocks) • Labor shortage: invention of machinery to help • Peasants & workers became aware of value

  5. And still in Europe • Religiously: • Papacy became more secular & occupied w/ fiscal gain & universal power • Disillusionment with church led to:

  6. Disillusionment with Church: • Increase in religious fervor: • Increase in number of religious holidays • Increase in religious pilgrimages • Increase in indulgences by the Pope • Increase in hedonism: • People lived for the moment • Turned to drink, sex, and materialism • Questioning of Church authority; set stage for Protestant Reformation

  7. Impact of Black Death in the Islamic Middle East • Inflation: • High cost of medicines & ingredients: • Incense, cardamom, camphor, white sugar, watermelons, Syrian pears, molasses, pumpkin seeds • Cost of silver rose because of use as magic talismans and amulets • Shortage of funeral cloths and burial shrouds

  8. Still in the Middle East • Economically: • High cost of labor due to population decline • Doctors, druggists, herb sellers, and blood-letters became wealthy

  9. Yup…still there • Society: • Mosques closed due to deaths of caretakers • Crafts disappeared because of decreased demand: artists could earn more by transporting the dead • Number of weavers in Alexandria dropped from 13,000 in 1394 to 800 in 1434

  10. And more Middle East • Governmentally: • Increased endowments for religions, educational, and charitable purposes • Government funds increased due to death duties and confiscation of victims’ property • Technological stagnation • Decline of Middle East as a trade center

  11. Flight: prefer low sites away from wind Pope Clement VI went to Avignon where he slept between 2 bonfires Avoided the coast Houses built facing north with windows covered in waxed cloth Aromatic items burned to keep away the miasma Religious relics/magic amulets/talismans/hex signs Sleep first on right and then on left side to keep body steady Don’t sleep on back: vapors will get you through your nose and erase your memory Medical Treatments in Europe

  12. “Bad cures bad” Bloodletting Soothing potions: apple, syrup, lemon, rosewater, & peppermint Emerald, gold, pearls = medicinal Eating eggs w/ vinegar “Ring Around the Rosie” Ring around the rosie, Pocket full of posies, Achoo! Achoo! We all fall down! More medical stuff

  13. Few people in the streets No flight b/c must preserve society from disruption & disorder Clean & fumigate house Letter magic Renewed enforcement of Muslim laws, esp. against alcohol and moral laxity Have patience, piety, & visit the sick Curses were discouraged Burning fires Sweet smelling shrubs planted around the cities Avoid congested areas No sleeping after eating, avoid missing meals Medical Treatments in the Middle East

  14. Sleep with room opened to the north Bloodletting Keep morale high w/ joy, serenity, relaxation, hope Plague buboes were pierced & soaked w/ vinegar & oil of roses, apples and myrtle Dried egg yolk applied to boils Items to strengthen the heart: fruit juice, fragrant foods, lentils, meat in vinegar Beds covered with flowers Plasters on the hearts Drink sour liquids Seek pleasant & attractive company More Middle Eastern medical treatments

  15. Europe: Religion Superstition Folk belief & tradition Science or medicine: Middle East: Religion Superstition Folk belief & tradition Science or medicine: List the reactions of:

  16. Points to ponder: • How might people, while meaning well, accidentally spread the plague? • Sometimes, during a crisis, things of little value an suddenly seem precious and vice versa. Do you see any evidence of this in either culture? • If plague were to strike today, what things do you think would escalate in value today? Any similarities?

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