Creative Writing: The Horrors of The Black Death in Europe

The Black Death killed over 40 million people during the years 1346 - 1353 almost 60% of Europe’s entire population. The first record of the bubonic plague hitting the continent of Eurasia is during 1338 -1339 then it spread to India in the 1346 then infected the Black Sea port in Kaffa in the year 1347. The first outbreaks arose in England in 1348 and advanced to Scotland then went on to Scandinavia, then Ukraine.

One of the most popular thoughts on how the black plague was spread was spread through Europe is when a fleet of ships arrived at a dock in venice and all the sailors in the ships arrived dead or dying. Many people believe the rats on the ships spread the disease to the civilians after ticks from the rats bit the people and possibly spread from person to person through the air, bodily fluids, or being bitten by an infected tick as well.

The symptoms of Bubonic plague includes fevers and chills, stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting, extreme weakness, bleeding from the mouth, nose, rectum, under the skin, gangrene, and shock. These symptoms are recognizable from 24 hours to 2 days after infection. Some of the reasons the bubonic plague was tragic is because sometimes an infected person would not show any symptoms of having the bubonic plague and would pass away while sleeping without being able to say they’re final goodbyes to family members or friends.

I was a plague doctor in Rome, circa, hired and paid by the city because of my background as a medical physician. In 1656 I helped to treat some of the citizens that were infected with the bubonic plague. I usually start my day with a self inspection to make sure i have not contracted the virus from any of my patients and then bathe with minerals and herbs to protect myself from the curse of the disease. Then I'll take out my medical tools that i'm going to use for the day which included my cane to inspect my patients from a safe distance, leather gloves to protect my hands from coming into contact with the disease, my mask with a beak that I would stuff with herbs, flowers, straw, and perfume to ward off miasma the bad air that caused the disease. Then I would inspect my gown for tears and cover it with wax from head to toe to prevent the penetration of the disease and put on my heavy leather hat over my mask say a quick prayer and begin my day of treating the sick. I reached a patient who seemed to be in the latter stages of the plague I saw this same patient yesterday and they were not in such a bad condition as they were today.

Yesterday I suggested to him to tie flowers to his bed, smoke a pipe with tobacco, and drink hot drinks only. Today in seeing the decline of his health i got some of the leeches I brought with me and attached them to the buboes in his underarm region hoping they would remove the infected blood from him, I grabbed a scalpel from my tool belt and began making small incisions in the buboes on his groin area to let some of the infected blood out on its own. While waiting for the leeches to finish his wife brought me to see their daughter whom they believe has also contracted this deadly disease. The mother was exceptionally distressed and upset claiming it was a punishment from God.

I tried my best to calm her down and assure i would do everything in my power to help keep her daughter and husband alive and well, but unfortunately I knew no matter how hard I tried, prayed, or cures i tried even this disease was impossible for me to treat and it was only a matter of time before I too would become infected with the plague. After a considerable amount of time consoling the mother i approached her daughter room to inspect her and give diagnosis. When i reached her room she was in the same condition as her father maybe worse in half the amount of time. Upon seeing her i asked her mother to make her a hot drink and told her take some laxatives i went to check on her father remove the leeches and then leave. I went throughout my day doing routine checkups with other households but for some reason I just couldn't shake the thought of the young girl and the grief of her mother. Later that night I woke up to the sound of the mother knocking on my door. When I opened the door she had tears in her eyes and explained to me that her daughter started coughing up blood and was vomiting. Extremely concerned i told her i would meet her at her house.

Once I arrived at the home I used one of the most extreme cures i know. I coated her daughter in a layer of mercury and put her in the oven for a short period of time and before she fell asleep i told her to wear lucky charm around her neck. After a long depressing walk home after getting home I noticed an uncomfortable feeling in my underarm and quickly got undressed dreading every second. When i got my last layer of clothing off i saw it, a golf sized bubo swollen and red. I collapsed on the heap of my clothes crying no longer caring about cleanliness because i know that now my time has come. I made myself a hot drink wrote a letter and last wishes and set them on my bedside and slept.

By the morning I could barely lift my head without almost vomiting and when I looked down at my legs and saw that now had a sore in my groin area and it had pus in oozing from it.Not knowing how much time I have left I did my best to get up and get dressed in my regular clothing to head to church for a final blessing. On the way there I saw the mother sitting outside her house crying. I asked her what was wrong, she said that her daughter and husband both passed away while sleeping last night and she has the plague as well and doesnt know how long she has left, then she realized I did not have my doctor wear on either and asked me if I had contracted the plague as well. After speaking with her, we both began to cry, then i got up and invited her to come to church with me for our final blessings.

When we got there the priest kept it short afraid of getting the disease himself then sent us home. I walked with the mother home gave her my condolences then proceeded home. Once I got home, I took a bath, prayed, then made myself a hot drink. After doing this I got extremely cold and exhausted and went to bed early. I passed away peacefully in my sleep.