The Black Death The Deadliest Pandemic Essay - 1229 Words

The Black Death was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Hundreds of thousands of people suffered a painful death that dramatically decreased the population in and around Europe. A disease so deadly and quick spreading greatly sacred the people of this time. Nothing like this had ever been encountered in the past. People looked for many explanations for this pandemic and to this day, one has yet to be found. The greatest differences in the opinions of the cause were influenced through religion. The major religions in the time where the Black Death was spreading was Christian and Muslim. The followers of these religions had very differing opinions on the reason the terrible illness was†¦show more content†¦Most bodies were put outside and hardly covered with a little dirt without divine offices. There were too many deaths to keep up with; the death bell no longer rang. Families and loved ones betrayed one another in effort to save themselves, but most were caught with it anyway. It was believed to be the end of the world. The first symptoms were a small swelling behind the ear and a bubo under the arm. A tumor was also sighted. After this they began to spit blood which gave them fifty hours at most before death followed. All of these things were accounted by both Christians and Muslims. In times like these, many turned to their religions to fill in which they did not know. Document four explains that Christians believed the Black Death was the wrath of God. They believed God was angry with the people for their sins and they must pray for repentance to relieve the plague. The Muslims looked at it much differently. They believe that everything that comes from God is good; making the Black Death good. They believed that it was Gods will for that to happen so no prayers or sacrifices were necessary to relieve it and they must accept it. There is also the nonreligious view of the Black Death. Document five shows that some nonreligious explanations in Europe say it was caused by miasma carried by warm southern winds, the March 20, 1345 conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, and March, or the outrageous fashion of the time. SomeShow MoreRelatedEssay on Causes of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic1189 Words   |  5 Pagesin a year than the Black Death killed in a century. – John Barry Many historians call the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 the deadliest disease outbreak of all time. As many as 100 million people were killed as a direct result of this disease (Taubenberger 1). The Great Pandemic affected everyone, the prosperous and the poor, developed and underdeveloped nations. Entire villages in Alaska were wiped out because of the viral disease (Public Health Service). 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