How Was The Black Plague Cured

Alright, gather 'round, folks. I've got a tale to tell, a tale of rats, fleas, and a whole lot of plague. Now, don't worry, I won't get too graphic, I'm not here to gross out your coffee. We're talking about the Black Plague, the big daddy of all pandemics, and how we, or rather, they, managed to cure it. So, buckle up, here we go.

First things first, what was the Black Plague?

Imagine this, it's the 14th century, you're living in a medieval town, and suddenly, your neighbor turns into a walking, talking bag of buboes. That, my friends, was the Black Plague. It was a bacterial infection caused by Yersinia pestis, a tiny little monster that loved to hitchhike on rats and fleas. It was so bad, it killed an estimated 75-200 million people in Eurasia and North Africa, reducing the world's total population at that time by up to 60%. Now, that's what I call a party crasher.

So, how did they deal with this medieval nightmare? Well, they didn't exactly have N95 masks and vaccines back then. They had to get creative, and by creative, I mean, they tried everything from the ridiculous to the downright bizarre.

Enter the Quack Doctors

In the absence of real doctors, the medieval world was flooded with quack doctors. These were the medieval equivalent of Instagram influencers, peddling miracle cures and making a fortune off desperate people. They had some... interesting ideas. One popular method was to use a poultice made from a combination of onions, garlic, and rose leaves. Now, I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure that's just a fancy recipe for rat repellent.

Then there were the bloodletters. These guys believed that the plague was caused by an excess of bad blood, so they'd slice open your veins and let the bad stuff out. I mean, it's not like they could kill you, right? Oh wait...

The Black Death: The Plague, 1331-1770

Fleeing the Scene

When all else failed, people did what any rational medieval person would do - they fled. Towns were abandoned, and people hit the road, hoping to outrun the plague. Some even tried to bribe their way to safety by leaving money at the city gates. I mean, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? Unfortunately, this just spread the plague even further.

But then, something unexpected happened. A group of flagellants, religious penitents who believed the plague was God's punishment for their sins, arrived in Europe. They were known for their public displays of penance, whipping themselves and parading through towns. And guess what? They didn't get the plague. Why? Because they were itinerant, meaning they moved from place to place, never staying long enough for the fleas to catch up. It was the medieval equivalent of social distancing, and it worked.

The Turning Point

Now, here's where things get interesting. In 1665, London was hit by another outbreak of the plague. This time, they had a secret weapon - John Graunt. Graunt was a merchant and statistician who noticed something strange. The plague seemed to be killing more people in the crowded, filthy parts of London than in the cleaner, less crowded areas. He published his findings in a book called "Natural and Political Observations Made Upon the Bills of Mortality," and suddenly, people started to connect the dots.

Weird Plague 'Cures' (The Black Death) - YouTube

It was around this time that a French physician named François Mauriceau suggested that the plague was spread by contact with infected persons or their belongings. He even recommended isolating the sick, a practice that was eventually adopted and helped to control the spread of the disease.

So, Was There a Cure?

Well, sort of. You see, the Black Plague wasn't really 'cured' in the way we think of cures today. There was no magic pill or potion that could make the plague disappear. Instead, it was a combination of factors - improved hygiene, better understanding of how the disease spread, and a bit of luck - that eventually led to its decline. It's like fighting a fire - you don't just throw a bucket of water at it and call it a day. You have to starve it of fuel, cut off its oxygen, and keep at it until it's gone.

And that, my friends, is the tale of how the Black Plague was 'cured.' It's a story of human resilience, of learning from our mistakes, and of how sometimes, the best cure is prevention. Now, who's ready for another round of coffee? I've got a story about the Great Stink of 1858... but that's a tale for another time.