The Black Death of 1348 was the greatest biomedical disaster in world history. In just three years the bubonic plague killed a third of the people in Europe (Cantor, p. 6). Due to a lack of general medical knowledge, the plague was easily able to spread to places like Europe and Asia, causing terrible warning signs of infection. The bubonic plague was a widespread pandemic with terrible symptoms that will forever be part of history. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Basic hygiene was rare and vaccinations were centuries away. So, what could be done? Lee states, "...Although there wasn't much distance between the doctors' advice and the old wife's tales." (p.181) Medieval doctors followed the theories of Doctor Galen, a 2nd century Greek, who attributed illness to an imbalance in bodily conditions. The primary method of diagnosis was virtually educated guess through urine coloration and consistency. The main treatment against diseases involved the restoration of a supposed body balance with the help of enemas or bloodletting. By cleansing the intestine, a desired healing effect was achieved. Drawing blood from a sick patient was considered a reliable treatment until the 19th century. Nineteenth-century medieval medicine brought antiseptic surgery, anesthesia, and smallpox vaccination, but in the face of an endemic epidemic it was little better off than the physicians of 14th-century England. (Cantor) His treatments had been very similar to what others had written: “the room should be ventilated with coal fires in stone vessels in the center of the rooms rather than in the chimneys of the cities where that possibility of extinguishing the plague would be lost, up the fireplace; furthermore 'place on your fire a small quantity of incense, juniper, dried rosemary, or bay leaves'. The rosemary wants to be soaked and boiled and the strong vinegar in the fumes allowed to "rise into the middle of every room." The angelica way was to be chewed, and sorrel macerated in vinegar was to be eaten 'in the morning on an empty stomach, with a little bread and butter, against which sorrel sauce is also very healthy'. The advice…was 'written by a learned physician for the health of his country'” (Lee, pg182). To prevent the spread of the health problem in every home, all hygienic measures are essential, which consists of adequate sewerage, purity of water supply, isolation of sick people, disinfection of clothes and linens of the bed and room and to prevent all unnecessary contact with the sick. (Wyman) Kelly states, “It cannot survive for long on surfaces such as chairs, tables, and floors, and functions optimally only within a narrow climate range: air temperatures between 50 and 80° F and humidity above 60 % and 80%" (page 36). Nowadays bubonic plague can be prevented by checking or burning clothing to remove all fleas. Humans infected with this disease must be quarantined for at least three days after taking antibiotics. During the plague epidemic, many rodents die, forcing hungry fleas to look for another source of blood. The bacteria spread with the help of bites from contaminated fleas, bites or scratches from infected animals, or direct contact with contaminated animal carcasses. (Cantor, pg11). The first historical evidence of the bubonic plague is found in Central Asia and in 1338/39 (Stöppler, pg3). What is most perplexing about the Black Death in the 14th century was its very rapid distribution, a quality more typical of2).