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Positive and negative impacts of the plague
Positive and negative impacts of the plague
Positive and negative impacts of the plague
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In the “Merrian-Webster” dictionary, bioterrorism is defined as “terrorism involving the use of biological weapons.” In other words, an individual that uses living organisms to harm one or more individuals. These cases of bioterrorism may be intentional or accidental.
Countries have used bioterrorism to affect other countries for power. Back in 2002, after the September 1, 2001, when two planes came crashing in the twin towers in New York and another one crashing into the pentagon in Washington D.C. After the terrorist attack happened people in some people in congress received mail that contain anthrax, a chemical that would get in the lungs of the victim and cause respiratory problems. President George W. Bush then signed The Bioterrorism Act of 2002. The act helped control bioterrorism, yet there are still some individuals that go against the act and still attack other countries including the United States.
Yersinia pestis (plague) is an example of bioterrorism. This disease has caused several deaths for the past 2,000 years in Europe and in Asia. In the 14th century it was called the Bubonic plague, better known as “the Black Death.”
Plague has three stages, Bubonic, Septicemic and Pneunomin. The first few days, the bubonic stage takes place and that is after the individual has been infected. The symptoms that are given off are fever, headache, weakness, pains in the upper leg and groin, white tongue, rapid pulse, slurred speech, confusion and fatigue. At day three, throbbing inflammation of the lymph glands from the armpits, neck and groin happen resulting in “buboes.”
The plague then develops to Septicemic plague which causes bleeding under the skin causing the skin to turn purple, giving a bruise color. The area where...
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...t for them to guide you in disposing the carcass. When doing outdoor activities, make sure to wear repellent to avoid getting bit by fleas. Wear long sleeve shirts and pants and bug spray that contains DEET. Finally, try to keep your pets free from fleas by using flea control (animal safe) repellents and keep them away from areas that are potential to being affect.
If a person wanted to wipe out an entire population by using the plague, they will become successful since it can be transmitted really easily and a person can die within days. If a person that comes infected does not know the symptoms that the plague gives out and thinks nothing may happen so they leave it alone, within days the person will die. All physicians say that if swelling starts to occur in the neck, armpits or groin areas seek immediate medical attention so that the infection can be taken of.
Guillemin, J. (2005). Biological weapons: From the invention of state-sponsored programs to contemporary bioterrorism Columbia University Press.
The Black Death (also called the "plague" or the "pestilence", the bacteria that causes it is Yersinia Pestis) was a devastating pandemic causing the death of over one-third of Europe's population in its major wave of 1348-1349. Yersinia Pestis had two major strains: the first, the Bubonic form, was carried by fleas on rodents and caused swelling of the lymph nodes, or "buboes", and lesions under the skin, with a fifty-percent mortality rate; the second, the pneumonic form, was airborne after the bacteria had mutated and caused fluids to build up in the lungs and other areas, causing suffocation and a seventy-percent mortality rate.
After a series of biochemical tests and evaluation to determine several unknown bacteria, the bacterium Yersinia pestis was chosen to report. The discovery of Y. pestis dates back to 1894 by French/Swiss physician and bacteriologist named Alexandre Yersin. The name Yersinia pestis is synonymous with its more common name, the plague. Y. pestis is known to infect small rodents such as mice and rats, but is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected animal or flea. Although this bacterium is known to still cause illness today, it is infamous for three pandemics that occurred in earlier centuries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first recorded pandemic occurred in 541 A.D. and is known as the Justinian Plague. The second pandemic originated in China in 1334 and has received the egregious name the “Black Death.” Finally, the third outbreak took place in the 1860’s and is known as the Modern Plague. It wasn’t until the end of the Modern Plague that scientists discovered the causative agent and mode of transmission of the Yersinia pestis bacterium.
The Black Death is one of the deadliest epidemics to ever hit mankind. It is estimated that this epidemic killed nearly 30%-60% of the population depending on the location. Recently, scholars have argued over the existence of the Black Death as a Plague in the form of Yersinia Pestis. Many argue, through scientific research and primary sources, that the Black Death was indeed a plague. Their critics argue that there is not enough evidence in the correlation of the scientific research and the primary sources to conclude that the Black Death was really a plague. The primary source The Black Death, by Rosemary Horrox, is a compilation of different accounts of the plague throughout Europe in the 1300’s. The two modern sources Plague Historians
The disease was caused by a bacteria called Yersinia Pestis which was carried by fleas that lived on the black rats. These rodents helped spread the plague. The diseases spread one of two ways. The first was through human contact and the second was through the air, people were infected with the disease just by inhaling it. The symptoms and characteristics of the disease included fever, fatigue, muscle aches and the formation of buboes which is swollen lymph nodes. These buboes were usually found under the arm, on the neck or in the groin area. It is caused by internal bleeding which eventually forms black spots or boils under the skin (which is why it is called the black death). Death usually followed shortly after these symptoms
During the thirteenth century the plague started spreading, it spread through the trade routes of many countries. Many people only heard of the plague being in China, but little did they know that the infection was already following the routes. The were three types of the Black Death Bubonic, Pneumonic, and Septicemic.The Bubonic strain of the plague was more common, an infected person would have symptoms of chills, fever, vomiting, and rapid heartbeat. The person would soon develop inflamed swelling which were called buboes. Once a person had these buboes within a week, fifty to eighty percent of these infected
The Black Plague is an Oriental Plague marked by inflammatory boils and tumors of the glands. Such break outs were found in no other febrile disease ( Hecker, pg 2). Inflammatory boils often appeared and black spots which indicated decomposition of the body ultimately appeared on the skin. Another symptom of the plague were imposthumes opening with a discharge of offensive matter ( Hecker, pg 5).
In his “Introduction to the Decameron,” Giovanni Boccaccio describes the plague’s harsh symptoms. This author mentions the individuals swelling and developing bruises; however, he employs a personal witnessing report on the grotesque nature. His story involving pigs feasting on a pauper who died from the disease gives insight into the body’s physical deterioration. According to Louis Sanctus, the plague breaks down into three stages. The first stage, the bubonic plague, has a life expectancy of three to six days. Its symptoms include swelling of the underarms, neck, or groin; increased body temperature, bleeding and vomiting, and disorientation. The second, the pneumonic plague, has two to three days of life expectancy. This hazardous stage inflames the lungs, leading to a discharge of pus. Thirdly, the septicemic stage gives no person a chance of life because the person would have only a few hours to live. As the deadliest form, bacteria would poison the blood resulting in a painful death. Doctors and families provided little to no assistance for the victims. Sanctus writes, “the doctor does not visit the sick for fear of this contagion…nor anyone another who may be a blood relation, unless he wishes to suddenly die like him or follow him [to the grave] immediately” (Aberth, 34). Under the pope’s direction, medical professionals from
Even though the bubonic plague can not be transmitted among humans, it was the most common of the three plagues. The bubonic plague occurs when fleas feed on the blood of infected rodents, which are usually rats (Poland 1). The bacterium that causes the infection is known as Yersenia Pestis. The fleas then pass the bacteria when they bite a human or when materials infected with Yersenia pestis directly enters the body through a wound. The names of this plague come from the swellings, also known as buboes, that appeared on a victim’s neck, armpits, or groin (Gottfried,1).The lymph nodes suddenly become painful and swollen with pus especially in the groin. Later, the skin splits and oozes pus and blood. Blood also comes out of the victim’s urine which, like the rest of the symptoms, smells horribly. These swellings (also known as tumors) could be as small as an egg or as big as an apple. Even though some people survived this disease, others would have a life expectancy of a week.
Pandemics, once started, are expected to spread worldwide. They cannot be stopped from spreading, once they outbreak, they continuously spread. The Black Death was a disease that spread throughout the Mediterranean and Europe. There were approximately 25 million deaths in Europe alone. The Black Death was caused by the bacterium called Yersinia Pestis during the 13th century. The Black Death, also known as the Bubonic Plague was caused by a single contamination of one person. The Black Death was caused by a single bacterium, overcrowding in areas like Europe, which effected a huge part of the population by simply killing it off.
The bubonic plague was the most commonly seen form of the Black Death. Which had a mortality rate of 30-70%. The symptoms were enlarged and inflamed lymph nodes (around armpits, neck and groin). The term "bubonic" refers to the characteristic bubo or enlarged lymphatic gland. Victims were subject to headaches, nausea, aching joints, fever of 101-105 degrees, vomiting, and a general feeling of illness. Symptoms took from 1-7 days to appear.
It was a bubonic plague that came from Asia and spread by black rats infested with fleas. The plague spread like a wildfire because people who lived in high populated areas were living very close to each other and had no idea what was the cause of the disease or how to cure it. The signs of the “inevitable death” where blood from the nose, fever, aching and swellings big as an “apple” in the groin or under the armpits. From there the disease spread through the body in different directions and soon after it changed into black spots that appeared on the arms and thighs. Due to the lack of medical knowledge, no doctors manage to find a remedy. Furthermore a large number of people without any kind of medical experience tried to help the sick but most of them failed “...there was now a multitude both of men and of women who practiced without having received the slightest tincture of medical science - and, being in ignorance of its source, failed to apply the proper remedies…” (Boccaccio). The plague was so deadly that it was enough for a person to get infected by only touching the close of the
Yersinia Pestis is a bacterium found in fleas that can be transferred to host rats and can eventually be spread to humans. Antibiotics, immunizations, and other medical treatments weren’t available during the Middle Ages, so there was not ...
The Black Death was associated with three types of plague, which were all caused by Yersinia Pestis. The bubonic plague had a mortality rate of 80 percent. It was “spread through the bite of a flea” (The Black Death, 23). The most noticeable symptom is swelling of the lymph nodes. After the outbreak of the symptoms, death would occur within three to six days. Yet, ten to forty percent of people affected by the bubonic plague would recover. The second type was the pneumonic plague and it had a mortality rate of 90% to 95%. The pneumonic plague it is transferred by “respiratory fluids” (The Black Death, 23). The plague kills its victims in a period of two to three days. The third type is the septicemic plague and it had a mortality rate of nearly 100%. This plague “spread through a direct invasion or poisoning of the blood” (The Black Death,
The virus attacks the lymph nodes and lungs. The buboes formed from the virus are usually formed in the groin or armpit depending on the closest lymph node. The plague is highly contagious, spread by speaking, coughing, and sneezing. There are two types of plague, the septimic and the pneumonic.