Plague Disease Myths

Plague refers to a disease spread by fleas which are infected by their hosts, in most cases rats. The fleas used to change host especially after the death of the rat, and the next host they preferred may have been human being. During that process, they infected humans.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Plague Disease Myths specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Plague was first experienced in Europe in the mid of the fourteenth century when the first wave of the infection killed about twenty five million people. The infection continued spreading throughout Europe in the eighteenth century, and at that time the cause of the bacterial infection had not been ascertained yet. Upon infection, an individual experienced severe pain, and in a few days eighty percent of the infected people succumbed to death. In one school, the plague killed twenty boys almost simultaneously. This caused other students to stay away fro m school as they opted not to attend it (Schoolmaster 1484). Considering the case in England, the plague was caused by filth in the streets and the sputum and dog’s urine which clogged the rushes on the floor of houses (Erasmus 1512). The rich in the society managed to flee from the country, and as a result, the poor were the ones who were left vulnerable to the disease. This also happened in Paris where only a few porters and wage earners who resided there were left (Versoris 1523). Johann Weyer wrote in his The Deceptions of Demons in 1583 that individuals also spread the deadly plague by smearing the gates to the city of Casale in Western Lombardy with a certain ointment that caused the disease. Thus, everyone who touched those gates was infected, and as a result died. Unfortunately, the heirs of the deceased are the ones who made payments for the gates to be smeared so that they would have obtained a quick inheritance. This was the case at Casale where it was reported tha t people got infected by simply touching the gates (Weyer 1583). Each and every household which was affected by the pestilence was immediately quarantined, and in the event of that person’s death in a specific place, the one had to be buried in that particular place. Furthermore, many people died because of hunger since the roads were under heavy guard to ensure that no infected individuals travelled from one place to another. (Staden 1571)Advertising Looking for critical writing on eastern europe? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Gold was used to meet the expense of pest houses so as to quarantine the infected while gallows were used to punish the violators of health regulations. In addition, the gallows were also used to frighten other people, and bonfires were used to eliminate the infected (Motto 1576). A particular woman whose husband had a fever was sure he would have died, but he was miraculously healed. He was fe d by a piece of bread that had touched St. Domenica’s body. The bread was sent to him by Angelica. (Centennni 1624). An individual really thought a lot about what would have happened in the event their household would have been invaded by the plagues. It was a tough time as everyone wondered who they would lose first to the disease, the daughter first or the son. It also happened that after the son had died, the daughter followed, and eventually the individual died as well. Even in the season of severity, an individual would still have compassion and be charitable. Convalescents and servants of two pest houses were fed by a particular individual who also paid guards and gravediggers with alms sent to him/her by the lordships (Dragoni 1630). The infected patients hung toads on their neckline so that their venom would draw out the poison of the disease within a few days (Roachas 1647). In Barcelona, there was a high demand for nurses who although called to serve neglected the p atients in many instances and made them die quickly so that they could collect the agreed fee (Parets 1651). News was received that in Rome Italy it was now violent. People opted to refrain but four individuals opted to believe in providence rather than not see a fine place (Reresby 1656). People feared to buy wigs with the assumption that the wings were obtained from the heads of people who died of the plague (Pepys 1665). The European nations including France, Holland, Spain and Italy prohibited ships from England. As a consequence, foreign trade and manufacture of goods declined causing a stoppage (Defoe 1665). The plague was believed to be a punishment from the gods due to the sins of the people and remedies were not considered to be available like in the case of ordinary maladies (Bertrand 1720). The events happened from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century affected the whole of Europe (Clark Rawcliffe 2013). Many people lost their lives as a result of being infected by the plague, and in general the society became inhumane (Crawshaw 2012). People stopped caring for each other and valued money more than human life. This period was one of the darkest periods in European history, and also one of the events that later led to intensive research in medicine until a cure was discovered. Works Cited Clark, Linda Carole Rawcliffe.  Society in an Age of Plague. , 2013. Print.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Plague Disease Myths specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Crawshaw, Jane.  Plague Hospitals: Public Health for the City in Early Modern Venice. London, UK: McGraw Hill, 2012. Print. This critical writing on Plague Disease Myths was written and submitted by user Kyra T. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Plastic Sulfur - Simple Sulfur Polymer Demo

Plastic Sulfur - Simple Sulfur Polymer Demo Did you know that you can make a polymer from an element? Turn ordinary sulfur into rubbery plastic sulfur and then back into its brittle crystalline form. Plastic Sulfur Materials 50 g sulfur  test tube (25 mm x 200 mm)burnertest tube clampbeaker of water (500 mL or so)tongs Procedure To Polymerize Sulfur Youll melt the sulfur, which changes from a yellow powder into a blood-red liquid. When the molten sulfur is poured into the beaker of water, it forms a rubbery mass, which remains in polymer form for a variable length of time, but eventually crystallizes into a brittle form. Fill the test tube with pure sulfur powder or pieces until it is within a couple of centimeters of the top of the tube.Using a test tube clamp to hold the tube, place the tube in a burner flame to melt the sulfur. The yellow sulfur will turn into a red liquid as it melts. The sulfur may ignite in the flame. This is fine. If ignition occurs, expect a blue flame at the mouth of the test tube.Pour the molten sulfur into a beaker of water. If the sulfur is burning, youll get a spectacular burning stream from the tube into the water! The sulfur forms a golden-brown string as it hits the water.You can use tongs to remove the mass of polymer sulfur from the water and examine it. This rubbery form will last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours before reverting to the usual yellow brittle rhomic crystalline form. How It Works Usually sulfur occurs in orthorhomic form as eight-membered cyclic rings of monomeric S8. The rhomic form melts at 113 °C. When it is heated over 160deg;C, sulfur forms high molecular weight linear polymers. The polymer form is brown and consists of polymer chains containing about a million atoms per chain. However, the polymer form is not stable at room temperature, so the chains eventually break and reform the S8 rings. Safety The sulfur is safe to recycle or dispose in any waste container.Use care when handling the plastic sulfur, as it may still be hot/molten for several minutes.Its best to perform this project under a hood or outdoors, since sulfur dioxide (SO2) will be released if the sulfur ignites. Sulfur dioxide is a greenhouse gas, which is irritating and toxic. Source: B. Z. Shakhashiri, 1985, Chemical Demonstrations: A Handbook for Teachers of Chemistry, vol. 1, pp. 243-244. Related Projects You can use sulfur from this project to make both a mixture and a compound with sulfur and iron. If the polymer aspect of the project interested you, other simple polymers you can make include natural plastic from milk or a polymer bouncy ball. Feel free to play with the ratio of ingredients in polymer and plastic recipes to see they affect the final project.