Bring Out Your Dead

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
Yupstill 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
Medical Treatments in Europe

• 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
• Dont sleep on back vapors will get you through
  your nose and erase your memory

12
More medical stuff

• 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!

13
Medical Treatments in the Middle East

• 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

14
More Middle Eastern medical treatments

• 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

15
List the reactions of

• Europe
• Religion
• Superstition
• Folk belief tradition
• Science or medicine

• Middle East
• Religion
• Superstition
• Folk belief tradition
• Science or medicine

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?