Dela Rosa, Francis Justine M.

(2022-113073)
Science, Technology, and Society (GE07)
CEIT-29-101P (MH 12:00-01:30 P.M)
BS Electronics Engineering
Essay 1
“What are the differences between how modern people combat the COVID-19 pandemic and how people during middle age faced
the Black death plague?”

It is evident that the ‘black death plague’ had killed a myriad of people long time ago that it forever scratched the history of our world.
The virus was so fatal that it made a terrifying impact and experience to the world, especially in part of Afro-Eurasia in which according
to a report that it killed over 75 - 200 million people back in the days which caused the population to almost reach its depletion. In the
modern world, people like me are currently experiencing a terrifying virus and pandemic as well – the COVID-19 pandemic wherein it
is currently making the lives of people suffer in various ways including experiencing an agonizing death from the plague. Although, the
situation of the bubonic plague pandemic may look similar to the current covid-19 pandemic in terms of how these two deadly
phenomena made an attempt and currently attempting to erase the trace of humanity; however, they are entirely different in respect of
how people combatted the pandemic back then, and how people handle the situation now.

The state of the society back then and now in terms of progressiveness is what made them entirely different to each other. The lack of
knowledge that includes understanding, awareness, tools, science, medicine, right belief systems, traditions, and anything that we have
right now that could have helped them many years ago are the things that we wish we could rewind time and impart the knowledge we
currently hold to them in order to be saved. The people’s sanitary traditions at the time of the death black plague were one of the factors
that also caused them to die – people were unhygienic to the point that they only bathe occasionally and if they do take a bath, they
washed themselves in a water that was most likely to be contaminated. Well, in fact, most people back then only bathe on their birthdays
in which the concept of cleanliness was remained undiscovered for some time in which we all know that it is vital to avoid being infected.
People would combat the bubonic plague by immersing themselves into rosewater and vinegar when bathing because they believed that
it would protect them from the disease in which if we compare it in our time; we also clean ourselves to combat the virus but the
difference is that we wash our hands with water and shower daily. Next, it may sound absurd and unbelievable, but people back then
combatted the plague by killing others because some religious people believed that “God” sent the plague to punish them, thus, they
must repent – and some people thought that the best way to seek repentance is to kill others they consider as sinful and dissenter.
However, comparing it to the situation now, we rely more on science knowledge to save us than prayers. Another way that the people
tried to cure the black death plague was by using the bloodletting treatment; an ancient practice of medicine that supposedly treat disease
and improve the well-being of a person by withdrawing their blood in a restrained way in which it was deemed harmful later on. The
boil-lancing treatment was also used to treat the symptoms of the disease by draining the boil with hot pointy object which later on also
deemed as ineffective and harmful. In comparison to the situation now, we treat sick patients of covid-19 with right and effective
medication like integrating vaccines into our skin for immunity that were provided by science and advanced technologies. To add,
although only “plague doctors” wear a long beak-nosed mask back then for protection, it was also one of the ways people combatted
the deadly virus. The people thought that plague spread through smells, so they put scented herbs in the nose part of their masks which
explains why the mask look that way. Today, people in general are requiring to wear masks for protection, not only doctors.

In conclusion, there is a very huge gap of differences between how people reacted back then and now to the almost similar situation
they have been dealt with. However, one thing is truly apparent – the failure of understanding the plague itself and the underlying issue
of the virus was what led towns to become a terrifying graveyard for unfortunate people. Thus, as a society, we should continue to strive
for progress and always seek development since it is a necessary component for humanity if they still want to live on for many
generations. It is our responsibility to continue to hone our current capabilities in order for it to be handed down to the next generation
so that if they may encounter a pandemic – they would not be lost compared before, but rather prepared. After all, the accumulated
knowledge for years became our ultimate weapon to combat any danger that may encounter including the pandemic we are currently
battling.
References:

McEvedy, C. (1988). The Bubonic Plague. Scientific American, 258(2), 118–123. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/24988987

Rautner, Paul. (2020, November 16). What ended the Black Death, history’s worst pandemic: The bubonic plague ravaged the world
for centuries, killing up to 200 million people. Big Think. Retrieved from
https://bigthink.com/health/what-ended-the-black-death-historys-worst-pandemic/

Natasha Ishak. (2020, April 7). The Black Death was the worst pandemic in human history, so how did it finally end. All That’s
Interesting. Retrieved from
https://allthatsinteresting.com/how-did-the-black-plague-end

Bramanti, B., Stenseth, N.C., Walløe, L., Lei, X. (2016). Plague: A Disease Which Changed the Path of Human Civilization. In: Yang,
R., Anisimov, A. (eds) Yersinia pestis: Retrospective and Perspective. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 918.
Springer, Dordrecht. Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0890-4_1