Africa, Black Plague

Question 1

Who were considered the healers in Africa? What was the concept of their practice?

Answer 1

Priest healers.

-to diagnose or prevent DISEQUILIBRIUM. (physical, mental, social)

Question 2

Why did early missionaries and colonial ministers condemn traditional African medicines?

Answer 2

“satanic, primitive, un-scientific”

Question 3

How were African healers affected by the arrival of early missionaries and colonial ministers?

Answer 3

• many were forced to abandon their way of healing
• abandoned indigenous pharmacopeia
• b/c ppl were suppressed, a lot of traditional knowledge was lost.

Question 4

For what issues are African peoples in urban areas still seeking out traditional cures?

Answer 4

chronic medical issues

Question 5

How is the African medical system organized?

Answer 5

not a unified system.

• healers are primarily secular (gen to gen)
• some healers are sacred.

Question 6

Name different types of African healers.

Answer 6

• preist/priestess healers
• faith healers
• cultists
• herbalists
• bone-setters
• traditional midwives

Question 7

African Priest/Preistess

Answer 7

become possessed to figure out which spirits are attacking you.

• Divination and Ritual manipulation
• talisman

Question 8

African Faith Healer

Answer 8

similar to western faith healers.

• only work if you have full faith in the healers
• a calling from the holy spirit

Question 9

African Cultists

Answer 9

many stop shops

• knife wounds
• night terrors
• use charms
• some become possessed.

Question 10

African herbalists

Answer 10

secular.
traditional pharmacists.
takes a long time and training to become good.

Question 11

African Bone setters

Answer 11

level of competence similar to western medicine

skilled in healing gangrene w/o amputation.

Question 12

What are the responsibilities of a traditional African healer?

Answer 12

• personal advice
• help finding things
• aid with romantic matters
• guidance on starting up new businesses

Question 13

Which African nations have survived imperialism and are building upon traditional medicine?

Answer 13

Swaziland, Kenya, Ghana

Question 14

How was the bubonic plague spread? What new medical practice did it instill?

Answer 14

rats and trade

quarantine

Question 15

describe the most devastating plague outbreak.

• century
• how it spread (areas)
• why it was called the black plague

Answer 15

• mid 14th century
• began in the east, followed to the west, devastated Europe, travelled to N. America.
• deceminated intravascular coagulation (clotting of the veins) caused gangrene, which turned body parts black.

Question 16

Plague as biological warefare

Answer 16

Japanese spread infected fleas over Chinese cities with aircraft

Question 17

Virgin Soil Epidemic

Answer 17

first contact with disease, or has been so long that the population hasn’t built up a bio defense

Question 18

Plague of Athens

Answer 18

At the end of a war, this ended the great age of Athens. Sparta’s enemy was inland, so protected from the plague. Athens was on the coast, therefore a trade route, and hit hard.

Question 19

What does it mean when one says that the black plague “illuminated the other side of trade”.

Answer 19

People travel, animals travel disease travels.

Question 20

Describe the path of the Black Plague

Answer 20

1338-1339 it began near Kazakhstan, traveled the silk road.

• Astracan first area to get hit hard. Marmot pelts probably carried fleas.
• Mongols and Ghengis Khan’s territory VS. Venice and Genoa. First case of biological warfare when they hurled sick bodies via catapult. City of Kaffa
• People of Kaffa fled, prob by boat.
• Constantinople got hit. (death ships)
• Usually too late to do anything when a death ship arrived, the port was usually infected.
• London, then Norway, Sweden, Russia, Iraq, Iran, Baghdad, Mediterranean coast, Damascus, Egypt, Beirut.

Question 21

What is the origin of flowers at funerals?

Answer 21

Miasma. Good smell prevents the hurtful bad smell from attacking. Originated with the plague.

Question 22

In North America, why Ellis Island and Grosse Island for immigrants?

Answer 22

so that sickness/ships were separated from the cities.

Question 23

what was the death toll from the black plague?

Answer 23

1/3 of Europe, 250,000 ppl. 70% of those who contracted it died.

Question 24

What happened post-plague?

-socially

Answer 24

because so many ppl died, heirocrocies were over thrown, religion was in doubt, malnutrition was widespread.

Question 25

After the plague, which country couldn’t get a break from sickness? from what?
how long did sickness last after the plague (amongst different countries)?

Answer 25

• Britain.
• Sweating sickness.
• 100 years (Lombardy, Prussia, Marceille/Tulone)

Question 26

After 100 years of disease post-plague, what did Europe do to rally together against disease?

Answer 26

Corridor of Health. A boundary with the east from the ottoman empire.
-the corridor was manned by 10,000 men and had quarantine checkpoints along the way. This limited trade, which helped.

Question 27

Britain got the plague on and off for centuries. What was the end to this?

Answer 27

The great fire in 1666. It leveled the city and burned all the rats.

Question 28

What are the following scientists known for?

Louis Pasteur, Shibasaburo, Robert Koch

Answer 28

found the composition of the plague, germ theory, cause of the plague.