The Black Death

Avoidance

In truth, about the only action that was effective was quarantine--simply staying far enough away that no fleas could reach you. Avoiding the sick was a natural enough instinct.

In Germany, there was a bishop who during mass offered the host at the end of a pole or on a long-handled spoon. The wealthy would flee to the countryside. Pope Clement VI, living at Avignon, sat between two large fires to breath pure air. The plague bacillus actually is destroyed by heat, so this was one of the few truly effective measures taken.

History of Western Civilization

E.L. Skip Knox
Boise State University

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