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Kevin Schwedler
V. Jagos
History 100D
7 April 2005
Common Diseases of the Middle Ages
Due to the lack of hygiene and medical knowledge, the middle ages were full of disease and illness. People were dying within days of becoming sick and were not able to receive treatment due to the lack of knowledge. Many deaths were due to illnesses such as, cholera, dysentery, influenza, measles and mumps and the black death. The diseases that wiped out the most people during the middle ages.
One common illness during the middle ages was cholera. Cholera is, “an acute, diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae” (Cholera). People would get cholera by drinking water or eating food contaminated with the bacterium. The source of contamination is usually the feces of an infected person. With the lack of medical knowledge, “no one knew about germs during the middle ages or how disease was spread” (Health and Medicine). The sewage systems weren’t as advanced and many germs were spreading through the cities. In towns, “an open sewer ran down the middle of the street and people tossed garbage, dead animals, and human waste into it every day” (Health and Medicine). Having the sewers run down the street lead to the rapid spread of the disease. An infected person with cholera would experience watery diarrhea, vomiting, and cramps in their legs. This causes rapid loss of body fluids leading to dehydration and shock. People infected with cholera could die within hours of being infected by it. The best treatment for the cholera bacteria was to have a good hygiene and not spread the bacteria to others.
An intestinal disease of the middle ages was called dysentery. “This disease caused the inflammation of the lining of the large intestine leading to stomach cramps and diarrhea “(Dysentry). It is caused by contaminated water due to the sewage problem of the middle ages. This disease is similar to cholera because the bacteria is picked up by a person through food and water and passed through feaces. A severe case of dysentery will dry out the person and leave to be dehydrated and causing death.
Another deadly illness of the middle ages was influenza. Still around today, influenza is a viral respiratory tract infection that if not treated right, could lead to death. With out a vaccine in the Middle Ages, people were dying from this virus.
People were also getting the measles. “Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that leads to fever, cough, and rash” (Dysentry). Another common disesase was mumps. It “is also a viral disease that causes an enlargement of the salivary and parotid glands” (Dysentry). This viral infections and diseases were throughout Europe during the middle ages leading to many people dying young.
Leprosy is, “a chronic infectious disease which attacks the skin, peripheral nerves, eyes, and respiratory tract” (Leprosy). People with this disease were not accepted in society, “leprosy was especially prevalent in Europe, and lepers were shunned wherever they went” (Health and Medicine). People with Leprosy receive multiple lesions and sensory loss in the affected areas. The loss of feeling in the toes and fingers were common areas for the beginning of sensory loss, “in many advanced cases, gangrene sets in, causing parts of the body to “die” and become deformed” (Leprosy). During the middle ages, people with Leprosy were kept away from society. They were kept together in colonies called leper colonies and sanitariums. People at the leper colonies were untreated, due to the lack of medical knowledge, and were kept there to die.
The most common of all diseases of the Middle Ages was the Black Death. The Black Death consisted of the bubonic plague and the pneumonic plague. The pneumonic plague is, “a bacterial infection spread to the lungs, resulting in severe coughing, bloody spectrum, and the relatively easy spread of the bacillus form human to human coughing” (Spielvogel 275). The pneumonic plague is the deadlier of the two diseases killing its victims is two to three days.
The bubonic plague was the most significant of the plagues because of how it spread. It started, “in the early 1330’s an outbreak of deadly bubonic plague occurred in China” (The Black Death). People were receiving this disease by being infected by rat flea bites. The most common site of the bubonic plague was China because it was one of the world’s busiest trading nations. Western Asia and Europe were also heavily infected by the plague. “The plague traveled on trade routes and caravans. Its path of death was generally from south to north and east to west passing through Italy, France, England, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Finland, and eventually reaching Greenland (The Path).
Europe was hit with the worst of the plague from 1347-1500. Many died during this time frame, “25 million people died in just under five years between 1347 and 1352” (The Black Death). The black plague usually appears around the armpits, legs, neck, or groin and symptoms include bubos, which are painful swellings of the lymph nodes. It would typically kill fifty to sixty percent of its victims. Lungs of victims were getting filled with blood and people were getting high fevers. Many victims did not stand a chance once infected with the bubonic plague.
At the time, people of the middle ages believed that the plague was a gas in the air. Not knowing that the plague spreads though interaction with others caused the disease to spread across Europe causing people to flee the big cities. The wealthy people were leaving their cities and traveling to their country estates. Many believed that the devil was behind the disease leading to explanations from the church.
There was one view toward the Black Death, “Whatever the causes appeared to be, the most common reaction to the plague was fear” (The Great Mortality). The belief of death in the middle ages was that life after death was better than life on earth but nobody wanted to die. When the plague broke out, the only thing people could do was fear death. With people fleeing from the plague, families were splitting apart from each other. Families were leaving their loved ones to die if they had the plague. According to The Great Mortality, “many priests refused to visit the ill, and Pope Clement VI granted remission of sin to all who died of the plague because so many were unable to receive the last rites” (The Great Mortality).
The Christian church did not fare well with the bubonic plague, “it lost prestige, spiritual authority, and leadership over the people” (The Church). The church talked about cures and treatment for the plague that weren’t working and making people wonder about the power of the church. Also, people wanted explanations and answers for the plague. As stated in The Church, “They said it was God’s will, but the reason for this awful punishment is unknown. People wanted answers, but the priests and bishops didn’t have any” (The Church). The clergy couldn’t handle the situation and fled their duties for the Christian church. People were also praying to God and begged for forgiveness to end the plague. As soon as the plague was over, people of villages were angry and started to revolt against the church. People were also mad at doctors who lied about curing patients and ending the plague.
With the outbreak many people looked toward doctors, “the doctor was probably one of the top five most important people because of the Black Death” (Medieval People). Doctors believed that the bubonic plague was caused by a strange gas in the air. Because of this, a third of the population was wiped out. The cure for diseases by the doctors was based on how they looked at the disease and the superstitious belief behind it. Of course this method didn’t help with the bubonic plague. “Medieval medicine was partly made out of plants with unusual ingredients” (Medieval People). The medicines could be ointments or drinks. Examples are beetles, bat dropping and powered earthworms.
With a third of the population wiped out, the supply of products went up in Europe, “a sudden surplus of all items and food drove prices down drastically” (The Great Mortality). Prices were low for items until the labor slowed down causing the prices to rise up. So the situation wouldn’t get out of control, “the government responded with legislation restricting wages to pre-plague rates or by limiting the amount by which wages could increase” (The Black Death).
The diseases of the middle ages weren’t treatable and many died without help. People didn’t like the fact that they were very close to death and feared it. Many lives were taken from cholera, leprosy, dysentery, influenza, measles and mumps, and the Black Death leaving the people in the middle ages with questions about life. A third of the population was lost and left many people in fear and with blame.
Works Cited
“Cholera.” Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 4 April 2005 <http://www.cdc.gov
/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/cholera_g.htm>.
“Dysentry.” 4 April 2005 <http:// www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWdystentry.htm>.
“Health and Medicine.” Minnesota State University. 4 April 2005 <http://www.mnsu.
edu/emuseum/history/middleages/health.html>.
“Leprosy.” 4 April 2005 <http://www.tesarta.com/www/resources/library/leprosy.html>.
“Medieval People.” Middle Ages. 4 April 2005 <http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools
/brisas/sunda/ma/1wendy.htm>.
Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization. Belmont CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2003.
“The Black Death: Bubonic Plague.” The Middle Ages. 4 April 2005 <http://www.the
middleages.net/plague.html>.
“The Church.” The Black Death. 4 April 2005 <http://www.insecta-inspecta.com/fleas/
bdeath/bdeath.html>.
“The Great Mortality.” 4 April 2005 <http://historymedren.miningco.com/library/weekly
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“The Path.” The Black Death. 4 April 2005 <http://www.insecta-inspecta.com/fleas/bdeat
h/bdeath.html>.