The most common accepted origin of the bubonic plague is that it came from northern China. Local traditions from the area suggests that the inhabitants knew that there was reason to fear the rodent population. Rules were made about burning clothing and bedding of those who died from the sickness and not killing slow moving rodents, because they were probably sick. What the people did not know was that it wasn't the rodents, but the fleas on the rodents to be afraid of.
When the rodent population suffered a decline in numbers, the fleas made their stupendous jumps, (check out the fleas video) to new hosts ... humans. Where the humans went, the fleas went with them. The local inhabitants in China had, over time, developed a level of resistance to the plague. This was not so with cultures to the west. Here, the devastation was dramatic. As you can see on the map, the plague traveled by land and by sea through trade and migration routes.
Think about how people move around today. Think about where the most people move in and out of an area, where to they meet and exchange goods.
What if the plague struck a town near by, how fast would it get to your town?
If the plague came to your town, what would be the likely place it originated from?
Knowing that disease moves through trade and migration routes, where would the most likely places of entry be in the United States?
Try making a google map to hypothesize how the disease might move through the country. Using your internet search skills find where goods and people move in and out of a region.
A line graph is a useful tool for understanding change over time. Follow the directions below to construct a graph that illustrates population changes from 1000 C.E. to 1500 C.E. in Europe, China, North Africa, and Southwest Asia (the Middle East.)
1. Draw the graph:
Measure and mark six evenly spaced points along the X-axis to display the years. Along the bottom of the X-axis, label each point with its year.
Measure and mark 13 evenly spaced points along the Y-axis to display the population from 0 to 130 (million) in intervals of 10. Label each point or every other point.
2. Label the graph:
Label the X-axis “Years.”
Label the Y-axis “Estimated Population in Millions”
3. Make a key for the data:
Select a different color to represent each of the four regions.
Below the X-axis, draw a sample colored line for each region and label the line with the name of the region.
4. Graph the data:
Use the table below to plot the data on your graph.
Connect each region’s data points to finish the graph.
Title your finished graph.
Courtesy of World History for Us All
The Flea - the World's Greatest Long Jumper
Watch the mystery of how the flea jumps.
If you were a flea, how far would you be able to jump?
The Plague spread by way of fleas, from their usual home on rodents to humans.
The video tells you how far a flea can jump to find a new host.
For one day, keep track of how many people you come in contact with and could infect if you had infected fleas on you.
Then, think about how many people they would come in contact with. WOW!
So, why did it spread so quickly?
Read the text below:
A Medieval Song about the Plague
"A sickly season," the merchant said,
"The town I left was filled with dead,
and everywhere these queer red flies
crawled upon the corpses' eyes,
eating them away."
"Fair make you sick," the merchant said,
"They crawled upon the wine and bread.
Pale priests with oil and books,
bulging eyes and crazy looks,
dropping like the flies."
"I had to laugh," the merchant said,
"The doctors purged, and dosed, and bled;
"And proved through solemn disputation
"The cause lay in some constellation.
"Then they began to die."
"First they sneezed," the merchant said,
"And then they turned the brightest red,
Begged for water, then fell back.
With bulging eyes and face turned black,
they waited for the flies."
"I came away," the merchant said,
"You can't do business with the dead.
"So I've come here to ply my trade.
"You'll find this to be a fine brocade..."
And then he sneezed.
Design a public service announcement, could be a skit, a movie, whatever you like to alert your community about what to watch out for in order to protect themselves. Think about these questions: