humanities Flashcards
What is the scientific cause of the Black Death?
The Black Death is believed to be caused by an infection with a bacterium called Yersinia pestis.
(Britannica, 2025)
What did the increase in international trade do for the world?
It created large economic networks and facilitated the movement of germs, leading to more travel between routes.
(Year 8 Oxford Big Ideas WA Humanities, 2016)
What impact did the increase in urban population have on disease vulnerability?
It led to more accumulation of waste, increased vulnerability to disease, and towns became incubators for germs.
(Year 8 Oxford Big Ideas WA Humanities, 2016)
How did the lack of medical knowledge affect the spread of the Black Death?
The cause was unknown, which allowed the disease to spread more easily and drove advancements in research into medicine and health.
(Year 8 Oxford Big Ideas WA Humanities, 2016)
What are the symptoms of bubonic plague?
Symptoms include:
* Fever
* Headache
* Chills
* Weakness
* One or more swollen, painful lymph nodes (buboes)
* Tiredness
* Muscle aches
(CDC, 2025; mayoclinic, 2025)
What is bubonic plague?
Bubonic plague is transmitted by infected fleas and carried by rats, common in the dirty, crowded conditions of medieval Europe.
(Year 8 Oxford Big Ideas WA Humanities, 2016)
What are the symptoms of pneumonic plague?
Symptoms include:
* Sudden high fever and chills
* Cough with bloody mucus
* Difficulty or irregular breathing
* Chest pain
* Upset stomach and vomiting
* Headache
* Weakness
(mayoclinic, 2025)
What is pneumonic plague?
Pneumonic plague is the second most common plague, attacking the respiratory system and spreading through the air by a victim’s cough.
(Year 8 Oxford Big Ideas WA Humanities, 2016)
What are the symptoms of septicaemic plague?
Symptoms include:
* Sudden high fever and chills
* Extreme weakness
* Stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting
* Bleeding from mouth, nose, or rectum
* Signs of shock
* Gangrene on fingers, toes, ears, and nose
(mayoclinic, 2025)
What is septicaemic plague?
Septicaemic plague is the rarest and deadliest form, spreading directly into the bloodstream and becoming life-threatening before buboes form.
(Year 8 Oxford Big Ideas WA Humanities, 2016)
What are some prevention measures for the plague?
Prevention measures include:
* Informing people when plague is present
* Advising precautions against flea bites
* Not handling animal carcasses
* Avoiding contact with infected body fluids
(World Health Organization, 2022)
When did the Black Death start?
The first pandemic wave was from 1347 to 1351, followed by the second wave in the 1500s and the last pandemic in the 1800s.
(sciencemuseum, 2025)
Which countries were most affected by the Black Death?
Countries most affected included:
* England
* France
* Italy
* Spain
(cepr, 2025)
Where did the Black Death originate?
The Black Death originated in Asia in 1346.
(BBC, 2025)
How many people died due to the Black Death?
The pandemic killed 30 to 50 percent of Europe’s population, totaling between 75 and 200 million.
(American scientist, 2025)
How did they reduce the spread of the plague?
The spread of the plague was reduced by improved sanitation, personal hygiene, and medical practices.
(big think, 2025)
Where did the Black Death originate geographically?
It originated in the area known as the Yuan Empire, modernly called China and Mongolia.
(Year 8 Oxford Big Ideas WA Humanities, 2016)
What role did the Mongols play in the spread of the Black Death?
Some believe the disease was first carried westward by the Mongols traveling along the Silk Road.
(Year 8 Oxford Big Ideas WA Humanities, 2016)
Fill in the blank: The first recorded cases of the Black Death reached a trading city called _______.
Kaffa
