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From medieval times until the mid-1800s, it was generally believed that diseases were caused by corruption and spread through the air or “miasma”. This attitude probably a result of a foul odor associated with illness and lack of hygiene, common at the time. When it came to prevention or treatment of such conditions, the lack of knowledge of modern science or medicine meant that people had only the faith and customs of their ancestors to rely on. While some of these mainly herbal remedies have been since been successful (eg wormwood for stomach complaints and lungwort for respiratory problems), most were totally ineffective when the Black Death swept across Europe in the 1300s.
The most common form of the Black Death, the bubonic plague, characterized by the appearance of black-colored buboes in the groin, neck and armpits, which oozed pus and blood, with fever, headache, pain, joint pain, nausea and vomiting. It was highly contagious and usually fatal. The Black Death was generally feared – it spread ferociously fast, and death may occur within a few hours of onset of symptoms. Between the 14th and 17th centuries, Europe has been a series of attacks from the plague, and the consequences were enormous. Between 1348 and 1350 alone, Black Death is estimated to have killed between one-and two-thirds of the population of Europe
The plague was associated with characteristic stink -. Huge number of victims, together with rapid and high mortality associated with plague would have given rise to an unusually strong stench. This reinforced in most people’s minds the idea that the disease was carried in contaminated air. Among the more obvious measures that were proposed because they were based on the aroma – the objective was to counter the bad air with sweet-smelling substances were thought to have the power to defeat the malicious evil smell. Herbs and spices were popular, but usually something that smelt good was useful
Those who could afford it burned a selection of aromatic herbs -. Like rosemary, juniper, laurel, pine and beech – in their houses, to help ward off bad smells and purify the air. Camphor and sulfur were also found to be effective. Sweet-smelling herbs such as lavender, sage, thyme, meadowsweet and winter savory, were dried and strewn on the floor, sewn in cloth bags or go as posies. Cloths soaked with aromatic oils such as camphor, rosemary or laurel, which were used to cover the face when going out was more expensive option. Vinegar was also considered to be an effective deterrent.
Even wealthy people could afford pomanders. This consisted of a pierced metal cases containing resin or wax embedded with numerous expensive aromatic spices, including nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Think nose, piercing the casing made odor to escape, so (supposedly) to offer the owner protection against air-borne plague. The attraction of aromatic spices, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, are perhaps obvious, but ambergris, a waxy secretion intestine sperm whale, was also used in pomanders. Unlikely as it may seem, ambergris has a pleasant sweet aroma and is still used today by the perfume industry. Only the very rich could afford to carry Ambra pomanders, and this was considered to be robust against plague and other pomanders
In Elizabethan times are reports of many “cure” for the plague :. Here are two of them based on herbal …
“Take yarrow, tansy, featherfew, each a handful, and bruise them well, then let the sick body repair water in plants, then strain it and give it to the sick to drink.” (The faith to drink their own urine website is a panacea for all ills is relatively common even today.)
“ Take of sage, rue, Briar leaves, older leaves, each a handful, stamp them and expand them with quart of white wine, and put it a little ginger, and good pace of the best syrup and drink there morning and evening. “
Although the resources available at the time were totally ineffective in treating people who developed the plague there is the possibility that some may, strangely enough, have actually been of some help in preventing the spread of the plague. Wormwood, rosemary, feverfew and tansy, especially in today known flea-scare their properties (indeed wormwood was used as a flea deterrent during the plague years) – and fleas and rats made then are now widely believed to have been carrying out and spread this devastating disease.
References
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miasma_theory_of_disease
- channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/guide12/part06.html
- cosmos.ucdavis.edu/2005/Cluster%207/Ramya%20Kandasamy.pdf
- earthspirits-herbals.com/fyi/winter05.htm
- the-orb.net/textbooks/westciv/blackdeath.html
- gallowglass.org/jadwiga/herbs/scents.html
- historical.hsl.virginia.edu/plague/mckeithen2.cfm
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death
- prizedwriting.ucdavis.edu/past/2002-2003/rosa.htm
- ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/31/6/1280
- william-shakespeare.info/bubonic-black-plague-elizabethan-era.htm
- history.boisestate.edu/westciv/plague/10.shtml
- everything2.com/index.pl?node=Black%20Plague
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_medicine
- internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/society/plague.html
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_and_diet_in_Elizabethan_England
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