HISTORICAL ANALYSIS

THE CULTURE OF MEDIEVAL GROUP

Cristy Joy I. Engaran World History
BSEd SS 1

Medieval Europe Response of Religion and

Medicine/Respond Scientifically and Socially to
Plague: The Black Death
In all of history, people in the world have overcome some pretty devastating things in their lives. For
example, people have had to overcome death, disease, human rights, and many more things. However,
none of these events have been as devastating as Epidemics. Epidemics spread the fear of people thinking
the world would end even if it was going to not to. Epidemics however, do have the power of ending
because they can very easily end the human race. The most feared of these epidemics is the Black Death
because it was the most deadly. Of the three major plague pandemics, the Black Death that began in the
14th century is by far the most widely studied. Traditionally believed to be caused by the bacteria,
Yersinia pestis, it became a concentrated and heavy outbreak resulting in the death of approximately
thirty to fifty percent of European population. The outbreak triggered a large recession, and a shortage of
crops and manufactured goods. The Black Death’s devastating effects were a major turning point in
European history, changing social structures and the role of science and medicine in society.
Imagine living your life in a time that is filled with nothing but fear and chaos. That which you fear the
most cannot be held or seen, but when it strikes it will cause you to suffer a cruel and agonizing death.
During the mid-1300’s, the people of Europe were stricken with a deadly plague, later known as “The
Black Death.” Many populations were completely wiped out as the Black Death swept through towns and
villages leaving only death and devastation in its wake. The Black Death was one of the deadliest
pandemics in human history that forever changed Europe and helped shape the world we know today.
During the Middle Ages, or the medieval period wealthy nobles and kings were privileged to live in fine
castles or manors, they dressed in the finest clothing, and were fed well. However, even with all this great
wealth these nobles could not escape the filth of daily living at that time and the dangers that
accompanied it.
The Black Death was a “catastrophic” event in Europe’s history. It had good and bad consequences.
Historians argue that the black death revealed the flaws with medieval medicine and pushed medicine to
improve, while others argue that the black death did very little for medicine. The Black Death did expose
the problems of the medical system in Europe at that time. As a result the top medical doctor’s focused
their time on the cause and how to prevent the black death instead of treating people and practicing
medicine, this could have been because they were unable to successfully treat the plague. The Black
Death made physicians hustle to make breakthroughs for the plague and try to get to the top of their
respected medical field by making writings.
First, the Black Death was a catastrophic event in Europe’s history. It had both devastating immediate
effects and deep long-term consequences. Historians, however, have not agreed on the extent of the Black
Death’s effects on the development of medicine and medical practices in Europe. Some historians credit it
with revealing the general failure of medieval medicine and directly sparking a reassessment and
reformation of medical practices, while other historians minimize its effects on medicine or omit the
Black Death entirely from their discussions of medicine’s development. The Black Death did reveal the
shortcomings of the existing medical system in Europe, wherein the top medical practitioners focused on
theories of causation and prevention of disease rather than practical medicine, as physicians were unable
to successfully treat the plague. The Black Death sent physicians scrambling to both develop treatments
for the plague and take measures to secure their status at the top of the medical hierarchy by producing
writings on the plague and pushing for the regulation of medical practices. For surgeons, the Black Death
provided an opportunity to challenge the position of the physicians and to assert their own authority as
medical practitioners proficient in both theory and practice. The Black Death helped cause a shift in
medicine toward greater emphasis on practice than there had been before, and intensified the struggle for
status between physicians and surgeons. Yet, it did not completely destroy the existing medical system.
Education based on the works of Hippocrates and Galen survived in the universities, however, the
teaching of surgery and anatomy were gradually included as well were they had not been before and
strengthened where they were already being taught. Thus, the Black Death represents an event that helped
shape medieval medicine’s course of development, and as such, helped shape the development of future
medical practices.
Second, in Christian Europe, the Roman Catholic Church explained the plague as God’s punishing the
sins of the people. The church called for people to pray, and it organized religious marches, pleading to
God to stop the “pestilence.” Few university medical schools existed in Europe. The “physicians” of these
schools had mastered the medical writings of the ancient Greeks. But these academic doctors never
treated patients. Lesser-trained surgeons and other healers used various practical skills and remedies to
treat the sick. The prevailing theory of keeping healthy was for the body to maintain the proper balance of
fluids, called “humors.” Breathing any foul air or vapors from dead bodies, polluted water, or even gases
released by earthquakes could unbalance the humors. At the plague’s peak in France, the medical faculty
of the University of Paris wrote a report on how the disease began. The report declared that the alignment
of planets “drew up evil vapors from the earth,” which were spread by “wild and southerly winds.” When
breathed in, so went the report, foul air “penetrates to the heart and corrupts the substance of the spirit that
is in it.” The European physicians had lots of advice on how to avoid the plague. European doctors
recommended treatments such as drinking a potion of ground chicken bones, cutting open and burning the
buboes, and even swallowing the pus of the buboes. Another popular treatment was bleeding patients to
remove the “bad humor.” During the Late Middle Ages, university-educated practitioners, otherwise
known as physicians, were customarily trained in ancient Aristotelian and Galenic theory. These
physicians strongly favored theory over application. Medical practitioners other than these “master
physicians” – including surgeons – held a lower position in society and were labeled as skilled craftsmen
rather than true physicians. Their training was more through the apprentice system rather than the
university system.
Lastly, physicians, friars, and priests who were unaffected by the disease charged large sums and took
advantage of the situation to make themselves rich even though their remedies often did not work. Many
medical accounts were taken not by physicians, but rather historians, which led to the spread of
misinformation on working cures. People used many different methods to try to keep themselves safe.
During this time quarantining helped slow the spread of the disease despite physicians having no theory
of contagion and many contradictory explanations. While fleeing was only for the wealthy, as they could
buy their way out of quarantine and move to country estates, poorer peoples were often forced to be
quarantined in their homes or pest houses after being diagnosed with the disease. While it is not as
innovative as other “remedies,” quarantine remains to be the only effective treatment of the time that is
still used today. Many of those who did not self-quarantine had little choice because they still had jobs
and did not have servants to assist them. These citizens moved about the cities trying to keep far from
others. While many people believed that the sickness was spread by smell, causing a rise in popularity of
bird masks amongst doctors, many others believed that touch was the primary vector of disease. This led
to types of social distancing such as doctors caring sticks to prevent people from getting too close. The
first 100 years of the pandemic quickly took many lives which led to the inability to create new medicine
due to the dangerous nature of the disease. Doctors did not want to study anything related to the plague
because they were fearful of catching the sickness themselves. This resulted in most people trying to
avoid the disease at all costs.
The plague exposed European medicine’s shortcomings, and this helped medieval Europe In the
transition towards preventative measures and practical, tested applications of medicine. From a societal
aspect, relationships between people varied significantly during the pandemic. Quarantine failed to
prevent the Black Death from spreading, raising fear among the people, and trust broke down rapidly
between neighbors, friends, and families. Governments entered a state of disarray since authorities and
their servants were equally affected by the plague. Europeans religiously followed mandates of divine
power and practiced self-punishment to plead for forgiveness from sin. As the Black Death broke out,
futile acts of repentance led to loss of trust in God and a deeper examination of commonly accepted
religious behaviors. Economically, inflation took over Europe and significantly jeopardized the long-
flourishing economy.
The plague devastated the economy, and Europe’s socioeconomic status was in a state of limbo with how
and when it might make a full recovery.
In conclusion, as one of the greatest plagues in human history, the Black Death greatly changed social
structures and medical perspectives in Europe. Its effects were so far-reaching and powerful that nearly
all explanations and cures were futile. The plague arrived in medieval Europe within a context of
primitive and unscientific practices. Various treatments were attempted, but most to no avail.
Consequently, as the disease took its toll on the population, it prompted change within the medical world.
Universities began to shift their focus towards practical and application-based teachings, and in the
decades following, public health improved and traditional theories came under scrutiny, paving the way
towards greater advancements in coming centuries.
 Social structures also greatly shifted. Familial value and structure was flourishing before the plague,
but was lost soon after the plague struck. The fear of catching the plague caused some to abandon loved
ones, including children. Elderly and infantile populations were often unattended to and perished from a
lack of care after contracting the plague. As this great fear rose, people responded with violence toward
both themselves and others. People revolted against authority, and punished whoever they thought should
be responsible for the outbreak of the disease. Both religious authorities and governments were affected
as a result. Though the epidemic created tremendous social chaos in Europe, society eventually entered
into deep social silence; dead bodies were thrown into mass graves and once-bustling towns and manor
lands were rendered empty and quiet. In conclusion, the medieval response to the Black Death inspired
scientific research as well as social reformation, which would continue to influence society hundreds of
years into the future.
Reflecting on COVID-19 in the previous years, it is strikingly similar to the medieval plague. The
social class disparities persist and the world has not been able to unite against this pandemic even with
more advanced communications. When the pandemic turns into a political weapon and financial
component, it is bitterly acknowledged that with all the medical and technological advantages, history
still repeats itself.

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