By Sherri Boomershine
The Black Plague (name of the pandemic) or the bubonic plague (name of the disease) struck Europe and Asia in the 1300s. It first arrived in Europe when ships from the Black Sea docked in Sicily with most of the sailors aboard the ships dead or seriously ill and covered in boils that oozed blood and pus. Sicilian authorities ordered the ships out of the harbor, but it was too late. Over the next five years, the Black Plague would kill more than 20 million people in Europe—almost one-third of its population. In Asia as well, trading ships brought the disease to the continent.
The Black Plague was extremely contagious requiring only the mere touching of clothes. The disease was quick. People who were healthy when they went to bed at night could be dead by morning. The Bubonic Plague attacked the lymphatic system, causing swelling in the lymph nodes that resulted in boils. Symptoms included fever, chills, aches, vomiting, diarrhea, and finally death. Today scientists know that the bacillus travels from person to person through the air or through the bite of infected fleas and rats.
Back in the day, doctors treated the disease by bloodletting and boil-lancing as well as by burning aromatic herbs and bathing in rosewater or vinegar. Of course, cleanliness was not valued back then by doctor or patient. The plague was so virulent, healthy people did all they could to avoid the sick. Doctors refused to see patients; priests refused to administer last rites; and shopkeepers closed their stores. Even animals caught the disease.
Because most of the population of Europe was illiterate, many people believed that the Black Death was divine punishment for their sins. Some people believed the only way to be forgiven was to purge their communities of heretics. As a result, thousands of Jews were massacred. Other people sought penance by self-flagellation. They would beat themselves three times a day with leather straps studded with sharp pieces of metal while the townspeople looked on, then move on to the next town. 5
The Black Plague of the Middle Ages dissipated but never disappeared. The plague in some form reappeared every few generations for centuries. Modern sanitation and public-health practices have lessened the impact of the disease but have not eliminated it. While antibiotics are available to treat the Black Death, according to The World Health Organization, there are still 1,000 to 3,000 cases of plague every year. https://www.history.com/articles/black-death
Sherri Boomershine is a woman of faith who loves all things foreign whether it’s food, culture, or language. A former French teacher and flight attendant, her passion is traveling to the settings of her books, sampling the food, and visiting the sites. She visited a Netherlands concentration camp for A Song for Her Enemies, and Paris art museums for What Hides beyond the Walls. Sherri lives with her husband Mike, her high school sweetheart, whom she married fifty-five years later. As an author and editor, she hopes her books will entertain and challenge readers to live large and connect with their Savior. Join, chat, and share with her on social media. Newsletter Facebook Twitter Instagram Website
If the Nazis stole your house, wouldn’t you be justified in stealing it back?
When Tamar Feldman admits to her husband, Daniel, and mentor, Neelie Visser, that she broke into her former home, they scold her for taking such a risk. Tamar is tired of being careful. She’s tired of living in the present, as if the past doesn’t matter. But the painting of the violin girl in her former bedroom draws her back again and again. She finally steals the painting to return it to its former owner. Now maybe this small act of justice will help Tamar start to heal. When Neelie sees the painting, she reveals a secret about it that will take the three of them on a quest to Amsterdam and Paris to find justice, forgiveness, and new beginnings. What Tamar doesn’t realize is the past isn’t finished with her yet; in fact, it’s as close as the walls in her house. https://bit.ly/44l056l
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