Week 5: Epidemics Flashcards
Context of Boccaccio’s work on the Black Death
Part of Decameron (1358 - 1353)
a) 10 sections with short stories
b) 10 storytellers for 10 days
When did the black death (Boubonic plague) reached Florence?
1348 BC
Europe (1347 - 1451)
Interpretation of the causes of the plague
Malignant divine punishment for the iniquity of Florentine society
Initial measures used to limit the epidemic in Florence
a) Purifications
b) Isolation of the sick (Social distancing)
c) Repeated supplications to God
d) Increased personal hygiene
e) Banning of infected people
Symptoms of the Bubonic plague
a) Boils under arms or groin
b) Bleeding through the nose (Virulent)
c) “Feeling sick” symptoms
Medical response to Bubonic plague
No counsel of physician nor virtue of medicine appears to avail
How many people died in Florence due to the plague?
More than half of the city’s inhabitants
How long did it last for most of the people to die after showing symptoms?
3 days
Consequences of the bubonic plague
a) Stopped caring fro the sick
b) Isolation
c) Duality between being modest or not
d) Properties were abandoned and re-inhabited by strangers
e) Lawlessness
f) Fleeing cities to the countryside
g) Church attendance decreased
h) The dead were not buried
When did the plague in Athens occur?
430 BC
Two years into the Peloponnesian War
What was the difference between medieval Florence and classical Athens?
Athens had city officials overseeing public health and safety
Pericles policy during the Peloponnesian War
Staying behind the walls and attacking the Spartans using the massive Athenian fleet
What favored the epidemics in Athens?
a) Congestion in the city
b) Unhygienic conditions
Where did the plague start?
Ethiopia => Egypt + Lybia => Athens
Who dies faster than anyone else during the Athenian plague?
Physicians
What is the suspected cause of the plague in Athens among the general population?
The Spartans (Peloponnesians) had poisoned the reservoirs
Course of the plague in Athens
a) First attacked the population in Piraeus
b) Appeared in the upper city when deaths became more frequent
What was the suspected disease of the plague?
Form of typhoid fever
Consequences of the plague
a) Serious regression for the war, affecting the policy of Pericles
b) Rise of demagogues/politicians
c) Promotion of an aggressive policy for war
d) General lawlessness (No fear of god or man)
Why were epidemics frequent?
a) Unhygienic conditions
b) Poor sanitation
c) Hot climate
What could ancient physicians do once someone got sick?
a) Record the symptoms
b) Offer prognosis
Context of the description of the plague of Athens
Thucydides wrote it in 400 BC
Part of the History of the Peloponnesian War
Symptoms of Athen’s plague
a) Intense fever
b) Unceasing thirst
c) Difficulty to sleep
d) Pestilence in bowels (7-8 days)
How long did it take for the sick in Athens plague to die from the onset of symptoms?
7 - 9 days
What Hippocratic work discusses plagues?
Epidemics
