GES 110
Disease as a connector-The Black Death
● The nursery rhyme “Ring Around The Rosie”:
○ First published in 1881 but there is speculation that it was sung as early as
1500 – referring to the Black Death of 1348/1349 to 1352.
○ Other scholars argue that it refers more specifically to another outbreak
of plague in 1665.
○ The song describes:
■ A rosy red rash in the shape of a ring on the skin
■ The pouches of posies (filled with sweet smelling herbs that were
carried to ward off the evil smell)
■ The ashes refer to the cremation of plague victims.
● Replacing ashes with a-tishoo in later versions is believed to
refer to sneezing, which was another plague symptom.
● The Black Death/The Bubonic plague, is often referred to as Europe’s ‘greatest
ecological disaster’, or the greatest biomedical disaster in European and possibly
world history.
○ In a very short time (1348-1352) the disease killed hundreds of thousands
of people. (Records are not accurate)
■ Estimated that some European populations fell as much as 70-
80%.
● The term Black Death is believed to have been coined first by Swedish and
Danish scholars in the 16th century.
○ It refers to the black colour of the buboes (these went from rosy red to
black). But it also refers to the horror of the plague.
○ The term however, did not gain popular usage until the 19th century.
■ In 1832, the German doctor, J.F.K Hecker published the ‘Essay on
the Black Death’, referring to the 14th century bubonic plague.
, ■ He wrote this in the context of the outbreak of the cholera
epidemic of the early 1800s.
■ Fears of another epidemic of plague proportions prompted the
study.
■ The essay was translated into English in 1833 – the term Black
Death entered English usage and gained currency.
● Since the 14th century plague, there have been numerous epidemics that have
caused enormous devastation but not on the level of the Black Death.
Diagnosis
● The Black Death was medically and epidemiologically diagnosed five and a half
centuries after it occurred.
○ In 1894 a plague broke out in China, especially Hong Kong.
■ A Swiss microbiologist, Alexandre Yersin, who was working in
French Indo-China went to Hong Kong to examine the infected.
■ He was successfully able to isolate and diagnose the bacillus which
was named after him – yersinia pestis.
■ He also successfully developed a serum for the treatment.
○ In 1896 it spread to Bombay – caused devastation until 1899.
■ From Bombay it spread to port cities in Portugal, Glasgow,
Scotland and Sidney, Australia.
○ It has since been determined that the bubonic plague bacillus is injected
into humans through flea bites.
● It has an incubation period of between 2-8 days.
Disease as a connector-The Black Death
● The nursery rhyme “Ring Around The Rosie”:
○ First published in 1881 but there is speculation that it was sung as early as
1500 – referring to the Black Death of 1348/1349 to 1352.
○ Other scholars argue that it refers more specifically to another outbreak
of plague in 1665.
○ The song describes:
■ A rosy red rash in the shape of a ring on the skin
■ The pouches of posies (filled with sweet smelling herbs that were
carried to ward off the evil smell)
■ The ashes refer to the cremation of plague victims.
● Replacing ashes with a-tishoo in later versions is believed to
refer to sneezing, which was another plague symptom.
● The Black Death/The Bubonic plague, is often referred to as Europe’s ‘greatest
ecological disaster’, or the greatest biomedical disaster in European and possibly
world history.
○ In a very short time (1348-1352) the disease killed hundreds of thousands
of people. (Records are not accurate)
■ Estimated that some European populations fell as much as 70-
80%.
● The term Black Death is believed to have been coined first by Swedish and
Danish scholars in the 16th century.
○ It refers to the black colour of the buboes (these went from rosy red to
black). But it also refers to the horror of the plague.
○ The term however, did not gain popular usage until the 19th century.
■ In 1832, the German doctor, J.F.K Hecker published the ‘Essay on
the Black Death’, referring to the 14th century bubonic plague.
, ■ He wrote this in the context of the outbreak of the cholera
epidemic of the early 1800s.
■ Fears of another epidemic of plague proportions prompted the
study.
■ The essay was translated into English in 1833 – the term Black
Death entered English usage and gained currency.
● Since the 14th century plague, there have been numerous epidemics that have
caused enormous devastation but not on the level of the Black Death.
Diagnosis
● The Black Death was medically and epidemiologically diagnosed five and a half
centuries after it occurred.
○ In 1894 a plague broke out in China, especially Hong Kong.
■ A Swiss microbiologist, Alexandre Yersin, who was working in
French Indo-China went to Hong Kong to examine the infected.
■ He was successfully able to isolate and diagnose the bacillus which
was named after him – yersinia pestis.
■ He also successfully developed a serum for the treatment.
○ In 1896 it spread to Bombay – caused devastation until 1899.
■ From Bombay it spread to port cities in Portugal, Glasgow,
Scotland and Sidney, Australia.
○ It has since been determined that the bubonic plague bacillus is injected
into humans through flea bites.
● It has an incubation period of between 2-8 days.
