Expert group A: The Bubonic Plague1a. The Bubonic Plague's Origins The bubonic plague is believed by modern scientists to have originated from the Himalayan region of Asia. While the black rat (shown below) is believed to have originated from Asia and made its way to Europe through trade. Not all fleas are carry the bubonic plague, and only some fleas that carry the bubonic plague transmit the disease by biting their prey. There are 2,400 different kinds of fleas worldwide, the Himalayan flea is important in the story of the black plague because it is known to carry and transmit the plague.

NOTE: fleas feed by landing on their prey and sucking its blood.

THIS IS WHERE IT GETS A LITTLE CONFUSING: Now this is where the Asian black rat comes in, unlike the field rats that the Himalayan flea normally fed on the Black Rat had contact with humans and usually lived in towns, or cities. Since the fleas are a carrier of the disease they do not die from it, but the rats do!! ….

1b. Three conditions are needed for a BUBONIC PLAGUE PANDEMIC.

1. Fleas that carry the plague need to be exposed to rats, and not just any rats, but rats that live in areas with a large human population.

2. Next there needs to be a large die off of a city or town rat population

3. And Third the fleas that carry the plague that were feeding on the rats are forced to feed on the human population causing a widespread outbreak of the disease. In Europe during the Middle Ages, many people had fleas since they did not shower. Also once people were infected the disease could spread by contact with blood or saliva of an infected person. In addition it is believed the plague was airborne and could simply be srpread by a cough.

KEY WORDS:Epidemic: a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease; many people are infected at the same timePandemic: an epidemic that is geographically widespread; occurring throughout a region or even throughout the world

1c. Symptoms of the Plague: Infected people first broke out with red rings all over their body, with dark center spots causing pain in their arms, legs and necks. They would have very high fevers and begin sweating. Then there would be vomiting, chills, breathing problems, a stiff neck, along with confusion. They became even more ill and their blood vessels would break causing internal bleeding, and then they died a painful death.

ASSIGNMENT: answer each of the following questions:

1. What are at least 4 symptoms of the Plague?

2. What is a Pandemic?

3. How does someone catch the Plague?

4. Where did the plague come from, originally?

Black Rat: (Rattus Rattus) (BTW: Rats can outpace the disease through reproduction)

Expert group B: The Plague Spread Across the World2a. Route of the Plague during the Middle Ages

2b. The Spread of The Bubonic Plague During the Middle AgesIn the 14th century (the 1300's), a horrible disease struck Asia, Africa, and Europe. The people called this illness the Black Death. The disease started in Asia in the 1340's. It quickly spread to Africa, and  throughout Europe. Conditions in Medieval Europe: They carried flowers to ward off the smell of the dead and dying. The skies were filled with ashes as people burned houses filled with the dead. Villages filled with the dead were burned down, to contain and kill the disease. Nothing worked. There was no sanitation in the towns. People threw their garage out on the street. To a rat, coming off a ship docked at port, the towns must have seemed like heaven.

2c. The Mongols Role In Spreading The Plague"..the whole (Mongol) army was affected by a disease which killed thousands upon thousands of them every day. They ordered the dead bodies to be placed in catapults and thrown into the city in the hope that the intolerable stench would kill everyone inside. What seemed like mountains of dead were thrown into the city, and the Christians could not hide or flee or escape from them.. soon the rotting corpses tainted the air and poisoned the water supply, and the stench was so overwhelming.-Gabrielle de Mussi during the Siege of Caffa

2d. Song about the Plague Ring around the rosy

The song hidden meaning

“Ring around the rosy” Rose-colored ring like purple wounds“Pocket Full of Posies” Sweet smelling flowers that those watching the sick

would carry to get rid of the BAD SMELL OF DEAD BODIES FROM THE PLAGUE

“Ashes, ashes” There were too many dead bodies that could not be buried in time so they would be thrown into piles and burned

“We all fall down” Death is coming

ASSIGNMENT: How did the Plague spread across the world?Write down 1 example from each document.2a.2b.

Mongol

3. 1345 Merchants did not realize it, but they brought the plague back with them to Italy.

2. The plague came to Europe from merchants that traded along the silk road

1. Horse-riding Mongols carried the plague across Asia from China where it originally came from

2c.2d

Expert group 3: What They Knew About the Plague

3a. Plague Doctor

 3b. Doctor 1, from Europe We, the members of the College of Doctors of Paris,…. Intend to make known the causes of the plague… We, therefore, declare as follows: It is known that in India, and the area of the Great Sea, the stars which stopped the rays of the sun… shined bright their power especially against the sea… and the waters of the ocean arose in the form of vapor, thereby the waters, in some parts, so dirty that the fish which they contained died. When the water evaporated it spread to many places on the earth causing the plague.

3c. Doctor 2, from EgyptThe deadly disease resulted from a corruption occurring in the air due to heavenly and earthly causes. In the earth the causes are salty water and the many dead bodies found in places of battle when the dead are not buried, and land which is water-logged and stagnant from rottenness, rats, and frogs. As in regards to the heavenly air, the causes are the many shooting stars and meteorites at the end of the summer and in the autumn, the strong south and east winds in December and January, and when signs of rain increase in the winter, but it does not rain.

ASSIGNMENT: The documents can be used to show some assumptions people from the Middle Ages had about the bubonic plague. They did not know what we know today about diseases and how they spread. Some people such as doctors did think that maybe fleas were responsible for spreading the plague, but were not sure. They definitely did not know about microscopic bacteria or virus. Create a t-chart to show what people from the Middle Ages did and didn’t know about diseases.

People from the Middle AgesDidn’t know about diseases_________Did know about diseases

Beak filled with herbs or perfume to avoid foul smell

Rod carried to push patients away

Wax or Leather coat helped avoid contact with plague victims, and also helped avoid flee bites

Glass covered eyes, and a leather hat

Medieval doctors could not diagnose the disease properly at those times. It was generally believed that the disease was transmitted through a physical contact, via clothes and bed linen.

Expert Group D: How They Reacted to the Plague

1. People Turn To ReligionThe plague created such destruction in Europe and it was believed to be a punishment from God. Many people, often times the entire population of cities joined together, male and female, small and large, the Jews went out with the Torah and the Christians with the bible. They would pray together with the hope that God would hear them and rid them of this terrible disease.

2. Eyewitness 1 to the PlagueAt first, people locked their doors trying to protect themselves. Then father abandoned child, wife left husband, one brother deserted another, for this illness seemed to strike through breath and sight… and so many died that all believed it was the and of the world.-Agnolo di Tura, of Siena, Italy

3. Eyewitness 2 to the PlagueSome again believed that there was no medicine for the disease better than running from it. A great number of men and women ran, they ran from their homes, they ran from their friends, and they ran from their cities. Some cities were even left deserted because many migrated to the countryside.-Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron

4. Anti-Semitism (Anti-Jewish prejudice)In the matter of this plague the Jews throughout the world were hated and accused in all lands of having caused it through the poison which they are said to have put into water and the wells-that is what they were accused of and for this reason the Jews were burnt all the way from the Mediterranean into Germany…. In some towns they burnt the Jews after a trial, in others, without a trial… in Basel the citizens marched to the city-hall and compelled the council to take an oath that they would burn the Jews, and that they would allow no Jew to enter the city for the next two hundred years.-Jacob von Konigshofen, historian of Strasbourg, 1346-1420

5. The Self-Flageilation (Self-Whipping) Movement“To save one’s soul One must pay and render accountsSo will his soul rest.Great Lord help us in this quest…Lord, with a loud voice we answer; Take our praise and our devotion.Save us from hell.By your death, we beg you.For you ,our Lord, we will shed our blood,So our faith so firm we keep.With all our senses, with all our hearts, For our Lord Christ we beat/whip our sinfulness.Crack the whipFor Jesus sake.”

ASSIGNMENT: Create and Write down 5 words , one for each document. The word must explain and describe the reaction people had to the plague; for each document.

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CTT: http://www.imaginon.org/fun/whippingboy/aratslife.asp?themeid=2&activityid=9

SO THE STORY CONTINUES, ….if a person or an animal were to come across a dead rat in the middle of the Himalayan mountains and lets say they tripped and fell on it, well then they would have caught the plague and died. But one person being exposed to the plague would not necessarily cause the outbreak that killed millions of people during the middle ages, and THIS IS WHERE IT GETS A LITTLE CONFUSING AGAIN. Three conditions are needed for a

Directions: First fill out the chart with your expert groups, only fill in the category that relates to the title of the handout you were given. After everyone in your group has filled in your expert topic the handouts will be taken away, and one member from each group will need to share their poster with the other groups. When the people are sharing their posters everyone must copy the information down.

(Expert Group B)How did the Plague spread across the world?

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How can someone catch the plague? (Expert group a)

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What are 4 symptoms of the plague? (expert group a)

(Expert Group C) Middle AgesWhat People knew about the plague | What people didn’t know about the plague

(Expert Group D) 5 words describing reactions to the plague, one for each document.1.

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Based on the information provided on the expert group sheet; What advice about the plague would your group give to people from the Middle Ages? Minimum 3 sentences:

What are the 2 most important pieces of information on your groups expert sheet:

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Make a drawing that informs the other group about the information your exper t group found: