Bubonic Plague Dbq

The Black Death, better known as the Bubonic Plague, greatly decimated the population of Europe during the Middle Ages. The Black Death was spread through fleas on rats brought in by trade ships. Because trade was so heavy among various parts of Europe, the plague spread quickly and was almost always fatal to the victim. The Black Death spread so quickly that few places had any time to prepare or any knowledge of how to prevent the it. However, certain measures could have been taken to keep the plague from spreading to certain towns.

Because the Black Death spread largely through trade, the first step in preventing it would be to stop all travel and products entering town. Though the people of Europe did not know that the plague began because

of trade, it would be easy enough to deduce that travel between cities was aiding its spread. Isolation is key to the survival of any town during a plague. Because nearby cities were likely already infected, any “clean” town would likely receive refugees who had managed to evade the disease. These refugees would be desperate for a place to go, which is why a perimeter with armed guards would need to be established around the town. The risk of accepting someone from an infected city would be too high, regardless of their situation or symptoms. Additionally, a curfew should be put into place to keep townspeople from helping refugees get into the town under the cover of night. Communication would need to be established with other uninfected cities to confirm what the symptoms of the plague were so they could be caught early. However, this would need to be done carefully to ensure that the messenger did not bring the plague into the city.
The next step in preventing the spread of the Black Death would be the establishment of martial law in the town. It is likely that the prevention of travel into the city would lead to chaos, and there is no room for panic in a place that is already at risk of infection. Putting martial law into effect and laying down a set of strict rules for the town would help to maintain order and prevent revolts from the townspeople. If anyone rebelled against the new rules, they should be immediately exiled from the town to be an example to others. If an exiled person tried to return, they should be executed on site, as they could have been exposed to the plague after they left the city and would also be disobeying the town’s leadership.
After the establishment of what the symptoms of the Black Death were, the town guard should be on the lookout for anyone that is showing signs of having the plague. Anyone with symptoms should be killed on sight, and their body should be immediately burned. Likewise, if someone showing signs of being infected approaches the town, they should also be immediately killed and burned to prevent the spread of the plague to the town or any other nearby cities. Anyone who has come into contact with the infected should be isolated and watched carefully to make sure no symptoms appear. A series of mass graves for the infected bodies should be constructed on the town’s border, away from any crops or water supply. After being filled in, the graves should be covered with rocks or lumber to prevent animals from digging up and eating the corpses. Though the killings are a necessary evil, it is likely that they would cause outrage among the townspeople. This is why it is important that martial law is established and that no room is left for insubordination.
The Black Death was a harsh plague that decimated over half of Europe’s population. To prevent it, harsh and timely measures would have to be taken. The extermination of the infected is merely speeding up the process of death for them. Losing a few innocents to ensure the safety of an entire town is a sacrifice that would be necessary to prevent the plague from spreading further.