Almost 700 years ago, a horrible disease struck Asia, Africa, and Europe. The people called this illness the Black Death. It has also been called the Black Plague or Bubonic Plague.
The disease started in Asia but due to trade and travel it spread to Africa and Europe. Ships brought the disease to Europe in 1347. It was caused by fleas on rats and there were lots of rats during this time.
Infected people first broke out with ring shaped marks on their arms and necks. Inside these rings were dark spots. These swollen sores would sometimes burst open letting out a foul smell. People might also run a high fever, have diarrhea, and an upset stomach. Sometimes people lived when the black sores burst open. So it was common for family members to cut them open to try to save their loved ones. It did not always work.
At first, people locked their doors and stayed inside trying to protect themselves. 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. They even tried to contain the disease by burning whole villages filled with dead people. Nothing worked.
They did have doctors, and doctors were highly respected, but their knowledge of health, hygiene, and medical practices was limited. People did not take baths very often. Many slept and worked in the same clothes for days and even weeks at a time without washing themselves or their clothes. Soap was made of lye, which was very rough on the skin so some rarely used it. The towns were hit the hardest. There was no sanitation in the towns. People threw their garbage out on the street which only made the rat problem worse.
The cause of the Black Death or plague was not discovered until hundreds of years later. Today, people can still get this disease but it is very rare. We have medicines for the plague now. These modern medicines are called antibiotics. You might take them when you are sick; like with strep throat.