The Plague

Give examples of two cities in Europe affected by the Plague, their death rate, and what they did to try to prevent it.

-Venice-40%, began quarantining the ships who came into the harbor but that didn't work -Milan-30-40%, locked the city gates and kept everyone out

How did the plague affect the emperor Justinian?

-it killed 40% of his soldiers which weakened his empire -believed that Muslim conquering of land would not have happened if the plague hadn't weakened the Roman Empire

What are some effects/solutions of the Indian outbreak?

-kill the fleas first, then the rats -Indian govt moved fast to get rid of the plague -people fled the area quickly -govt lied and denied presence of the plague in the country

What did the government do to improve the dirty city of San Francisco?

-mandated garbage pickup -paid kids 5 cents to pick up dead rats (later proved to be dangerous) -the San Francisco fire and earthquake probably killed off a lot of the rat population

What are some of the economic consequences?

-manpower shortages -balance of power shifted from aristocracy to peasantry

What are some major effects from the Plague?

-the status of the church lost confidence -Martin Luther lost faith in the catholic church which led him to start the Protestant Reformation

How many people in Europe did the Plague kill?

1/3

How long did the Plague persist?

4-5 years

How far did the Plague spread each day?

5-7 miles

How many people who were infected could recover?

50%

What was the name of the original bacteria according to Yersin?

Pasteur pestis

This type of plague goes to your lungs where the blood supply is great. The bacteria breaks down the lung tissue which infects the blood. This causes the lungs to bleed and people to cough up blood.

Pneumonic Plague

Where did the third pandemic of the plague originate and what type was it?

Southern China in the Yunnan Province, bubonic plague

What is another name for the Plague?

The Black Death

What was the ultimate result of the people persecuting the Jews?

The Jews moved away from the towns in clusters which is where Hitler decided to place his focus during WWII.

What did the pope and cardinals and nobles do?

they fled their cities to stay in their country estates until it went away

What did the US govt do about containing the plague?

they tried to quarantine Chinatown where it broke out, and they lied about the existence of the plague in the country

How did the third pandemic spread?

through Hong Kong, a major trading hub for many countries

How did the Plague get to England?

through the ships of dead or dying people

T/F. People began to think that praying wasn't enough so they hurt themselves and began to hurt the Jews because they felt they were being punished for tolerating them.

true

T/F. People didn't notice that the rat population was dying off as well which caused problems when people tried to find the link.

true

T/F. The Plague was a disease for the poor, not the rich because the rich could get away.

true

T/F. The role of the church at this time was corrupt and caused problems. The Plague brought doubt to the church and damaged its reputation.

true

This type of plague affects the red blood cells and causes blood clots, which reduces blood flow to important areas.

Septicemic Plague

Who was Louis Pasteur's assistant that was sent to Hong Kong to search for the cause of the plague?

Andre Yersin

This type of plague affects the lymphatic system and the fluid carried throughout the body known as lymph. This system is responsible for catching any bacteria throughout the body and transferring it through the heart to be filtered. The bacteria of the Bubonic Plague attacks the white blood cells which causes the break down of blood vessels and causes the blood to age and turn black. This causes the lymph nodes to swell and turn black-people called these buboes.

Bubonic Plague

What are the three types of the Plague and how many days did each type have to kill the host?

Bubonic Plague (5 days) Septicemic Plague (5 days) Pneumonic Plague (3 days)

Where were the first chronicles of the plague reported?

Caffa, a huge trading post

Where did the second pandemic break out?

Central Asia

How and how long did it take Yersin to find the connection to rats?

He heard that there was some connection to rats and conducted an experiment to prove this which took 5 years

What did Yersin do in Hong Kong in order to study the plague?

He pulled the liquid from the buboes of plague patients and found lots of bacteria.

Describe the experiment Yersin conducted.

He took a dead rat from the plague and held a live rat about a foot away from the dead infected rat to see if the disease could carry. He found that the fleas made the jump from rat to rat, and that those same fleas would be able to jump from the rat to human when close in contact.

In what country was there an outbreak in 1995?

India, rich and crowded, lots of rats, 250 deaths in 3 months

How did the plague spread and why?

It spread through the Nile River and the Mediterranean Sea because of the amount of grain in Egypt and available to trade

What was the pattern of the plague once it hit the US?

It spread to other rodents and moved up the West Coast and east until it hit Texas, where it basically stopped.

What was the first pandemic of the plague and where did it originate?

Justinian's plague broke out in Central Africa (Egypt-1st reported)

What two places did the plague break out regarding the US?

San Francisco and Hawaii

What is the cycle of the Plague and its spreading?

The flea bites the rat and the disease is transferred into the blood of the rat. Then the flea will move from host to host. The rats were in close contact with humans and therefore, the fleas jumped from rats to humans.

During the time of the European outbreak, the plague didn't reach North America. Why?

The journey was too long so any rats who were on a ship headed for North America died before the ship arrived.

What is the theory as to why the plague went away?

The rat population changed from the black rat to the grey rat. The black rat was more comfortable around humans, therefore it was easier to spread. The grey rat kept to themselves which prevented close contact with humans for the fleas to jump.

Describe the human fleas.

They do not have the comb like structure which means they can't be as efficient in spreading the disease.

Describe the rat fleas.

They had a comb like structure inside their mouths called pectin which allowed the blood to clot inside the mouth. The flea would poke several places in the rat which was very efficient.

How was the Plague spread?

Through the rodents who lived in the moist, grassy areas. They got fleas who carried the disease. The people who killed the rats infected with the fleas and were exposed to the furs.

How often did an outbreak of the plague occur?

around every 20 years

What was the name of the plague changed to later on?

Yerssinius pestis

What did the Chinese notice about the plague before others did?

a decrease in the rat population

What is the status of the plague in the US now?

an average of 7 cases per year affecting farmers, hikers/campers, and new housing developments

How did the people view the Plague?

as a punishment from God or a curse from the devil

Where and how did it spread?

everywhere, mostly West to Europe along the silk trade routes

T/F. Africa still has evidence of the plague.

false, Central Asia

T/F. The bits and pieces of the bacteria constructed from dead bodies in the past are not similar to the plague we have today.

false, are

T/F. Doctors proved to be very helpful during the time of the plague.

false, they were basically useless

Why isn't the plague good for a bioweapon?

it wouldn't spread as easily through the gray rat population and there isn't a crowded enough area for pneumonic plague to be efficient

Why did the plague stop after it hit Texas?

no one really knows but people guess it is because of the environmental changes

What is the danger of the plague now?

people are worried that terrorist groups might use the plague as a bioweapon, but this is not necessarily the best except for scaring people

What is the key to surviving the plague?

soon diagnosis, soon treatment, plus no antibiotic resistance so far

Was this a summer disease or winter disease?

summer, because of the hotter weather

What kind of people did the plague affect most?

the poor, malnourished, and not as healthy people

What was significant about the spread of the third pandemic of the plague?

the world now had steam ships which helped the rats survive longer sea journeys, spread to South Africa, India, other parts of China, North America, South America, and back to Europe

Who is the most susceptible to the plague now?

visitors to the west because the eastern doctors don't know how to recognize the plague in a short amount of time

Was there lasting damage if you survived the plague?

yes, blood clots and secondary diseases could cause death