Bubonic Plague In Elizabethan Era

831 Words2 Pages

The Bubonic Plague, or Black Death, was one of the most tragic pandemics in history. This disease is caused by the bacteria yersinia pestis which is found in rodents and fleas. Due to the medical advances that are available today, the bubonic plague is extremely rare. Other diseases that were spread throughout this time period consisted of Malaria, Small Pox, and Typhoid. There was a widespread of disease outbreaks due to the lack of sanitation, medicine, and as they believed, astrology.
During the Elizabethan era, illnesses were caused due to the shortage of sanitation. As the population increased, hygiene and sanitation worsened. No one was aware of the real causes for disease. Knowledge of germs ceased to exist. Diseases were spread more …show more content…

Sewers were filled with garbage and open in the streets around the towns. Running water was not available. In order to receive water, there were water pumps, which only furthered the spread of disease (“Elizabethan Family Life” 1). Though there was no running water to clean food, the poor still used the available water to wash the fruits and vegetables. The wealthy believed that fruits and vegetables were not suitable for their lifestyle (“Elizabethan Family Life” 1). This caused the less fortunate families to occasionally have better health than the wealthy. Sneezing and other natural functions were said to be the best way to maintain good health.
Doctors of the Elizabethan era were surgeons, physicians, barbers, and apothecaries. The doctor that was received was based on the social class of the patient. The wealthy were the only people who could afford to get help from a physician who had attended a University and the College of Physicians. The …show more content…

During the Elizabethan era, physicians believed that the zodiac signs and planets have control over parts of the body and different diseases. They also believed that it determined the usefulness of different drugs. Plants and herbs had to be collected at the time the related planets were visible. To determine when the planets would be visible, an almanac that stated the rising and setting times of the planets were used. The position of the moon in correlation to the natal chart allowed the physician to tell when the dangerous sickness days would take place. Blood would then be drawn from the patient to return the fluids in the body back to homeostasis (Delahaye 1). Certain planets were believed to affect different parts of the body. For example, Mercury and Uranus affected the brain and nerves. The sun affected the heart, Mars affected the arteries and Saturn affected the veins. The planets were also believed to be the cause of diseases. The sun caused heart and spine disorders, Jupiter caused liver disorders, and Mercury was the cause of insanity (Duchan

Open Document