Plague is among the deadliest bacterial infections in human history. Cases still happen today

In the 14th century, the bubonic plague swept through the Middle East Asia and Europe. In Europe, it wiped out as many as 50 million people or more than half the continent. Today, we're going to examine what European hygiene was like during the black plague. Ok. Grab your lua. We're off to Europe in the 13 hundreds. If you were *** flea rat or louse the 14th century was *** good time to be alive because you were thriving in filth. Plus you had *** steady job spreading disease. *** flea would bite *** rat that was infected with the plague and when the flea was hungry for its next meal, it would jump on to *** human and bite them. Transmitting disease from rat to human. Doctors of the era never identified fleas as *** vector for the plague. So people continued to sleep on straw bedding. That was teeming with vermin. Never realizing the risks they were taking for their fairly comfy bed. Europe wasn't very clean in the 14th century and everything was pretty much covered in grime bathing did not occur every day for commoners. However, they knew grime wasn't cool and most peasants began their day by at least washing their hands and face. Contrary to the stereotype, medieval Europeans did occasionally take baths. The rich bathed in private tubs while everyone else visited public baths or dunked in the local stream bathing was identified as *** treatment for the plague. But instead of bathing in water, some recommended bathing in vinegar and rose water vinegar. *** common medieval medical treatment was considered *** great tool in stopping the plague. Plague doctors sometimes wash their hands in vinegar or placed vinegar sponges in their masks. And if vinegar wasn't powerful enough for you, you could follow other recommendations to take *** bath in your own urine. That's *** lot of urine. But washing in your own urine may sound like *** decent option. When you realize in medieval times, people had to make their own soap. This required *** few ingredients, ashes from an oak tree tallow, which is animal fat, lime, which was heated to become quick lime, salt, flour, water, *** pot, *** pan fire and *** sturdy stick to stir with not to mention *** few days. And of course, the knowledge of how to put it all together. Yeah, urine looks like an easier option. Doctors in the 14th century had no idea how to effectively treat the plague. And in fact, many of their treatments actually spread the disease. For example, plague sufferers experienced swelling in the lymph nodes called Boo Boos. Doctors recommended cutting open the Boo Boos and draining the pus to let the disease leave the body then to the wound, they would apply *** mixture of plant roots. Sounds good. Resin, seems reasonable and dried feces. Yeah, that ruined it and never wanting to be wasteful. Some recommended collecting the drained pus from the Bobos to drink and almost certainly fatal suggestion. Do Iowa copay for this? Fearing contamination. Europeans tried to avoid infection but it wasn't just the walking afflicted that had to be dodged. It was also the dead. They were everywhere. Towns and cities struggled to dispose of the overwhelming number of cadavers during the plague. According to 14th century, Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio, many perished daily or nightly in the public streets of many others who perished at home. The departure was hardly observed by their neighbors until the stench carried the tidings. Another chronicler in Florence wrote all the citizens did little except to carry the slain to be buried. Europeans had some things figured out and established sanitation policies to bury infected bodies in mass graves. These were to be located outside of town and in deep pits, but deep is relative and keeping up with the body count was *** never ending task. Some cities were so overwhelmed that dogs dragged cadavers back into town through the streets. According to 14th century chronicler Agnolo Di Tura, some of the burial sites were so sparsely covered with earth that the dogs dragged cadavers forth and devoured many before indoor plumbing, human waste created *** public health crisis in the 14th century. Townsville might share one toilet among dozens of households. Oh, excuse me? Pardon me? Is this seat taken? Heavy rains and floods caused community cesspits to overflow which sent human waste cascading into the local water supply. And if you didn't even like the idea of going to *** place called the cesspit, much less the long walk to get there to dispose of your waste. Many empty their chamber pots directly into the street. Excuse me, Gavan, rats are not picky and will eat any food they can find even discarded or undigested food mingled with feces. So these open sewers attracted rats with their friends. The fleas along with other vermin, all of whom were partners in disease transmission having begun to see the connection between effluence and disease. England's parliament tried to stop people from dumping waste into the water supply. In 1388 the body declared so much dung and filth of the garbage and entrails be cast and put into ditches, rivers and other waters that the air there has grown greatly corrupt and infected and many maladies and other intolerable diseases do daily happen. In the 14th century Europeans believed foul smells, spread disease in an attempt to combat the plague. They carried sweet smelling flowers and pomanders which are small scented objects to cleanse the air. The plague dr costume became emblematic of the era. The bird like mask worn by doctors held dried roses, herbs like mint or spices thought to protect against infection. Doctors don the mask in *** full body covering when treating victims of the plague. The outlandish outfit may have indeed warded against infection though not because of the herbs and spices being covered head to toe meant the doctors had unknowingly invented the medieval hazmat suit. In the 14th century, civilization had not yet reached the age of production and consumers had little variety from which to choose not. So for the black plague, you had *** choice. The plague came in. Not one but three varieties. Bubonic mnemonic and Septicemic. Bubonic plague spread via flea bites and infected the lymphatic system. Pneumonic plague infected the lungs after inhaling aerosolized bacteria and septicaemic is when the bacteria infects the blood through direct exposure or via lungs or lymphatic system. If you were unlucky, you contracted the bubonic plague, which had *** survival rate between 25 and 75%. If you were very unlucky, you were infected with the pneumonic plague, which had *** survival rate between five and 10%. And if you were very, very unlucky, you contracted the Septicemic plague, which had *** survival rate of, well, it really didn't have *** survival rate. It was virtually unstoppable. It had *** mortality rate of 99 to 100%. Interestingly, despite hundreds of years of medical advancements, the Septicemic plague is almost always fatal. Even today, *** silver lining to the septicemic plague is that it's difficult to catch. Of course, if you do something silly, it increases your odds. Blood letting was one of the most popular medical treatments. In the 14th century. Doctors often treated fevers by bleeding their patients to remove heat from the body and bleeding was used on plague. Patients. Doctors believed partially correctly that the plague infected the blood as *** result. They recommended cutting open veins to let the disease leave the body. However, the medical treatment also exposed doctors and others to the septicemic plague. Very, very, very bad luck. Thanks for watching and check back next time to hear more about our weird history.