The Black DeathThroughout the middle ages black death was one of the most disastrous events killing between 25 and 30 million people over four years from 1347-1351. During the 13th century the population of Europe started increasing rapidly yet they weren't able to increase food production at the same rate. Weather conditions got worse which lead to poor harvests and sometimes famine. People were getting sick as there was not enough food. If you are one of those who caught a serious sickness you had little chance of surviving. At this time, 'the plague' broke out in Europe. There were a range of plague symptoms which included vomiting, coughing up blood and the growth of large, painful, itchy blue-black tumors (buboes) in the groin and armpits. These buboes would spread all over the body and emitted blood, pus and horrible smells. After the appearance of these buboes the victim would usually die between 3-5 days.
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Health and HygieneIn the middle ages personal hygiene was definitely an issue as peasants only bathed 1 or 2 times a year. The more wealthier people bathed more frequently because they had servants to carry the warm water from the stove to the bath. In the middle ages there were no councils for personal hygiene and no town planning. This meant that there were no rubbish collections, and rubbish and human waste was just thrown on the ground waiting for rain to take it into the river or creek which was also their only source of drinking water. Rats were also a common problem and fleas were constantly found on the villagers clothes and beds.
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