The Black Death

The black death swept through medieval Europe with great strength. The plague was virtually unstoppable, it flourished through the lack of hygiene, and lack of medical knowledge, which led to the viral spreading of the disease.

With millions of deaths, the victims looked for cures, and these cures can be split into five main categories, and the two displayed in this article include: Animal Cures and Other Cures (Potions, Fumigations, Bloodletting and Pastes).

Animal Cures

The Vicary Method

One of the most popular cures, the Vicary method involves, taking a live healthy chicken, having it’s back and rear plucked clean, and placing the bare part of the live chicken onto the swollen nodes of the victim. It was thought that when the chicken showed symptoms of the disease, that it meant the chicken was drawing the disease from the victim. The chicken was removed to be washed, and replaced once it was clean. This process was repeated until either the chicken or victim died.

Snakes, and for some reason, Pigeons

Another cure involved finding a snake, killing said snake, chopping the snake into pieces, and rubbing the severed snake over various parts over swollen buboes. The snake was thought to draw the evil out of the victim, as snake was synonymous with evil. And for some reason, the same would be done with pigeons

Unicorn Powder

Much sought after, and among the most expensive, was a powder made up of ground unicorn horn mixed with water. “Unicorn horn” was used to treat many medical issues, and considering it worked with other medical issues, it was assumed it would work on the plague. This was not, however, true.

Other Cures (Potions, Fumigations, Bloodletting and Pastes)

Consuming Emeralds

This remedy was only for the extremely wealthy, as it involved consuming a small amount of crushed emeralds with some from of food, or water. Those who could not afford to consume emeralds would drink mercury or arsenic, which would often lead to their death faster than the plague.

Four Thieves Vinegar

This potion was among the best known, it was a combination of spices, such as sage, rosemary, cloves, and wormwood, with a combination wine, cider, and vinegar. It got it’s name, after it was created and used by four thieves who were able to rob the homes of the dead, because the potion made them immune.

Theriac

Theriac involved grinding a list including up to eighty ingredients, into a paste and mixed with syrup, this was consumed as needed and contained significant amounts of opium. The ingredients and reason for its success is unknown.

Be Gone Bad Air!

Sweet smelling substances were used to fumigate one’s lungs, people would carry bouquets of flowers, it would also cover the stench of decomposing bodies. This would ultimately lead to the popular nursery rhyme “ring around the rosy/a pocketful of posie/ashes, ashes, we all fall down”.

Sweat it Out

It was also believed that by sitting very close to a hot fire you could sweat out the disease. Or that surrounding yourself by ‘bad air’ such as sewage, what was causing the victim’s sickness would gravitate to the bad air.

Bloodletting

It was thought that by drawing out the ‘bad blood’, it would be restored by ‘good blood’, the preferred way to do this was “leaching” which involved a number of leaches placed on the victim to suck out the bad blood. Otherwise a small incision was made, and the bad blood was collected in a jar and disposed of.

Cream Cure

Doctors also prescribed a cream made of various herbs, roots, and flowers, which was applied to the buboes once they were lanced. Victims would also bathe in or drink clean urine.