Causes of illness and disease Flashcards
What is a cause of illness and disease in medieval times?
(Loss of food)
Famine
Happened regularly in medieval times, leaving towns people starving with no source of food. The harshest came in 1315-1317 with torrential rain ruining planting and harvesting.
What is a cause of illness and disease in medieval times?
What do bad harvests lead to?
Poor diets
Bad harvests lead to hunger, not many rural families would be able to support themselves with their own supply of food.
What is a cause of illness and disease in medieval times?
To do with everyday life
Living conditions
Houses were crammed together, water was taken from streams and rivers contaminated by pollution and bodily fluids, and the towns had animals (such as rats and mice) roaming the streets spreading disease.
What is a cause of illness and disease in medieval times?
Violence and death
War
Wounds inflicted by swords or axes would often be fatal, as there was no way of healing them effectively. Soldiers would also ramsack villages and steal food and resources, leaving the villagers poor and hungry.
Which disease struck England in 1348?
The Black Death
The first recorded case of the Black Death in Britain was in July 1348, after rats being carried through the Melcombe port. By 1349, it had spread all through England, Wales and Scotland. Up to 40% of Britain’s population was killed.
Which disease struck England in 1665?
The Great Plague
It killed 100,000 Londoners in 1665, which was a large percentage of England’s population. Wealthy people and doctors fled out of fear, unknowingly spreading the disease to new places.
How many people died of the Great Plague in 1665?
100,000
Almost 25% of the UK’s population died of The Great Plague
What was a variant of the plague, appearing in both the 14th century and the 17th century?
Spread through rats.
Bubonic Plague
Swellings called buboes would appear all over the body, especially in the armpits and around the groin. This would be followed by a fever, a headache and boils. The death would occur within a few days.
What was a variant of the plague, appearing in both the 14th century and the 17th century?
Spread through people.
Pneumonic Plague
Spread through people coughing and breathing around one another. The disease attacked the lungs, causing struggles in breathing and coughing up blood. Death occured relatively fast.
Which disease was caused by contamination through water in the Industrial Era?
C——
Cholera
Symptoms would include severe diarrhoea and stomach cramps.
Which disease was caused by dirty water or food in the Industrial Era?
T——
Typhoid
A serious, infectious disease. Symptons would include a fever and diarrhoea.
What was the time when factories and industrial towns began to appear more frequently called?
Industrial Revolution
A time of serious disease, poor living conditions and mass production of resources and exports.
What is the name of a large building, divided into separate flats.
Seen often in the Industrial Era
Tenements
Installed due to cramped housing and overpopulation.
Which pandemic spread across the world, following the end of WW1?
Spanish Influenza
1918-1919, it spread worldwide. Up to 40 million people died from this disease, and 20% of the world’s population suffered from it. It was spread through troops moving around the world, carrying it to various places.
How many people died from the Spanish Flu in the UK?
280,000
Symptoms of this disease included headaches, sore throats and loss of appetite. Hospitals could not cope with the high numbers of patients.
Which disease was spread through the blood or bodily fluids of infected people?
HIV / AIDS
It’s often spread via sexual contact, or through the sharing of a needle with an infected person.
Does HIV kill the person directly?
No
It breaks down the body’s immune system, reducing it’s defences against other attacks. The patients will often die of other infections that their body is unable to fight.
How many people worldwide had contracted AIDS by 2000?
30 million
Africa was the worst off, with 63% of the patients being from there due to lack of health care. Over 8 million had died by 2000 due to AIDS.
