Plagues5

__** WHAT PLAGUES STUCK ENGLAND AROUND SHAKEPPEARE'S TIME? HOW WHERE THE PLAGUES DEALT WITH? WHAT EFFECTS DID THE PLAGUES HAVE? ** **Answer prepared by Theresa B.** __

The Plague. Two words that fill the hearts of many with remorse and amazement. Also known as the Black Death, The Plague was possibly the greatest killer of Elizabethan England. The plague began in China and moved across the Black Sea by way of traders and merchants. Highly contagious, the disease was then passed to Italy when the Tartars laid siege on the Genoese. When the plague broke out among the Tartars they catapulted the dead and infected bodies over the Genoese walls. After the Genoese fled to Italy, people began to get sick and then it spread to France, Germany, England, and the Low Countries. An epidemic had begun. According to James Giblin in his book //When Plague Strikes// there are three different forms of the plague. Bubonic plague was the most common and had a death rate of 30%-75%. A person coming into direct contact with an infected rat, flea, or person transmits this form of plague. The sickness starts by the lymph nodes swelling in the armpits, neck, and groin area. These swellings could grow from the size of an egg to the size of an orange. Due to the size of these buboes, the victim’s heart would begin to race to get blood to the swelling tissue. A severe fever and delirium would follow and the victim would be dead within 4-7 days. Pneumonic plague was transmitted by breathing in droplets of fluid from a person that was already infected. Unlike the bubonic plague, pneumonic plague attacked the victims’ lungs and throat. This form of plague had a death rate of 90%-95%. Septicemic plague was the most rare and lowest survival rate. It had a death rate of 100%. This form of plague attacked the blood system and caused the victims’ extremities to turn black and they died soon afterward. Thousands of people died per week with one of these plagues.

The outbreak caused as many as 800 deaths per day. People would do anything not to get sick; some parents even abandoned their children as soon as they were infected. Many people tried to find ways of preventing themselves from getting sick. They would walk around covering their faces with a handkerchief soaked in perfume. Others shut themselves up in their homes, never going out unless they absolutely had to. Queen Elizabeth took action. According to //The Black Death// website she closed down all public gatherings such as plays, concerts, and taverns. The Queen also encouraged the finest doctors to find a cure and preventative medicine. Because of her actions the number of deaths was less in England than other countries (//The Black Death// website 2) The overall effect of the plague was massive. 25 million people were dead and Europe’s economy was practically destroyed says James Giblin in his book __When Plague Strikes__. During the Black Death, many people found a lot of time for leisure. Unfortunately the same feeling carried on afterwards and the economy only sunk lower (Giblin 327). Many of the children were affected by constantly seeing all the delirious and dead people. It took hundreds of years to build the population to match before the Black Death.

The Plague. It is something that should never be forgotten, it was one of the most devastating events in history. The Black Death truly was the greatest killer in Elizabethan England.

This is someone's hand with the septicemic plague. This is a picture of someon with the bubonic plague. The lymph node is swollen on their neck. One artists view of the Black Death shown above.

Biel, Timothy. //The Black Death//. San Diego,CA: Lucent Books, 1989. Print.hy
 * Works Cited**

Giblin, James. //When Plague Strikes//. New York City, NY: Haper Collins Children's Books, 1995. Print.

"The Black Death." //Eye Witness to History//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr 2010. .

"The Black Death." //The Middle Ages//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr 2010. .

"The Black Death." //The Plague//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr 2010. [].

[|The Black Death]** This is a great video about the plague. Enjoy!
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