How can disease bring about Historical Change?
Introduction
The Bubonic plague of the 1340s was an excellent example of the magnitude of impact disease can have on cities and society at large. The disease affected most aspects of society, including social interactions, business and travel. Although several millennia have passed since the disease struck Europe, it shares a lot of similarities with the current COVID-19. The focus of this paper is to explore the effects of the disease, how it impacted history, and how it compares with COVID-19.
Effects on cities and society
The Bubonic Plague spread among a lot of city dwellers and even killed both women and men. As a result, people in the cities became fearful and scared. Streets and social places were left empty as people locked themselves in their homes. A lot of business owners died, leaving some of the property without owners. A lot of those who remained in cities resolved to migrate to the country where the disease was less severe, causing a drastic drop in city populations. The society as a whole was scared. People changed their ways of life, and social interactions became rare. Some customs, such as mass witnessing of burial ceremonies were abandoned due to fear of new infections and an increase in the number of deaths.
Historical changes
The Black Death, as the disease was known, disrupted the events that make history. A lot of practices that characterized the continent before the disaster were no longer possible. The disease itself went down in history as the worst pestilence in the century and one of the worst since the Incarnation of Jesus. The disease was also responsible for empty streets of Florence, a city that was once flourishing and beautiful. Additionally, the disease was responsible for a time in History of Europe when there was so many corpses on streets and mass burials became the norm because cemeteries were full. It also created a strange moment in history when numerous homes in the cities were left without people, and customs were abandoned.
Similarities and differences with the COVID-19
The Bubonic Plague has a lot of similarities with COVID-19. First, both disease spread through social interactions, touching contaminated surfaces and have a lot of causalities. They are also highly contagious, especially in places of high concentration of people such as cities and have no cure. The two diseases also differ in some way. While Bubonic Plague resulted in bleeding from most parts of the body before killing its victims, the COVID-19 kills its victim by preventing breathing and destroying body organs (World Health Organization, 2020). The timing of the two diseases is also different. While the bubonic plague came at a time when the means of travel were not highly developed; hence its greatest impact was in Europe where it started. COVID-19, on the other hand, has already spread to all parts of the world, including the U.S due to developed air transport and highly mobile population (World Health Organization, 2020).
In brief, the Bubonic Plague was one of the worst diseases of the medieval period in Europe. It resulted in massive deaths, disruption of social and economic activities and shut cities. The disruption to society even changed the course of history on the continent. Yet, after more than seven millennia since its outbreak, another disease with a lot of similarities with the Bubonic plague has emerged. With the COVID-19 increasingly causing similar effects as the Bubonic plague, it is an unfortunate indication that the world never learned from the first plague.
Reference
World Health Organization. (2020). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): situation report, 72.