jjares reviewed The Black Death: An Enthralling Overview of a Major Event in the Middle Ages (Europe) on + 3413 more book reviews
The beauty of books like this is that historians can analyze the events, make conclusions, and help readers understand what happened. The Black Death events were Earth-changing. It took Europe 200 years to return to its previous population count. This is a stunning result and was particularly difficult for landowners who relied on tenants to till the land. So many people had died that finding people to work was difficult.
The Black Death started in 1346 in the East and traveled westward via traders and ships. By the time the pandemic started to wane (in 1353), 200 million people died. This caused staggering problems in the world.
The symptoms and progression of the disease were interesting. Still, the fascinating part of this book included the things the medical community and regular folks found to try to treat the disease. Another fascinating aspect was the different religions' different responses to the disease. Catholics thought getting the Black Death was punishment for their sins. The Muslims took a different attitude; God chose his victims individually, and there was no reason to isolate someone suffering. It is unknown how the Jews viewed the sickness.
This book tries to cover this topic extensively and mentions methods that helped eradicate the disease, including quarantine, sanitation, and the discovery of germ theory. Four Thieves' Vinegar tonic was one of the most widely used. It is still sold today as an essential oil. The Black Death tremendously affected medicine, politics, the church, a preference for isolation, and other attitudes. This book does a fine job of explaining the intricate web of changes that happened because of the Black Death.
The Black Death started in 1346 in the East and traveled westward via traders and ships. By the time the pandemic started to wane (in 1353), 200 million people died. This caused staggering problems in the world.
The symptoms and progression of the disease were interesting. Still, the fascinating part of this book included the things the medical community and regular folks found to try to treat the disease. Another fascinating aspect was the different religions' different responses to the disease. Catholics thought getting the Black Death was punishment for their sins. The Muslims took a different attitude; God chose his victims individually, and there was no reason to isolate someone suffering. It is unknown how the Jews viewed the sickness.
This book tries to cover this topic extensively and mentions methods that helped eradicate the disease, including quarantine, sanitation, and the discovery of germ theory. Four Thieves' Vinegar tonic was one of the most widely used. It is still sold today as an essential oil. The Black Death tremendously affected medicine, politics, the church, a preference for isolation, and other attitudes. This book does a fine job of explaining the intricate web of changes that happened because of the Black Death.
