susceptible to superstitions. Some of the early treatments for .
the plague were the wearing of excrement and bathing in human .
urine. Other precautions were the use of leeches and the placing .
of dead animals in infested homes (Zeigler 35). .
Today he Bubonic Plague has a vaccine that lasts for about six .
months. It is not available in the United States yet. A new .
vaccine is being worked on and could be licensed later this .
year. Travelers to plague infested areas should take a special .
antibiotic. The most effective way to prevent plague is better .
sanitation. .
As plagues occurred regularly after the 1350's, .
preventative measures began to grow. Plague patients were .
placed in pesthouses, isolated from the general population. .
Ships coming in from areas where plague had broken out were .
forced to stay out of the port for forty days. This stopped .
3 .
plague infested individuals from bringing the plague ashore, and .
if the plague was present on the ship, it would die out during .
the forty day quarantine. Doctors wore protective gear to .
prevent themselves from being infected (Nardor 53). .
Among the most vivid accounts of the Black Plague's .
origins and symptoms are those of its earliest survivors. The .
early symptoms of the plague include: shivering, headache, .
vomiting, intolerance to light, pain in the back and limbs, and .
a white coating on the tongue. The more vivid symptom in men .
and women was the appearance of certain swellings in the groin .
and armpit area. These swellings, called buboes, were very .
painful swollen lymph nodes. From the two areas mentioned, the .
deadly swellings would begin to spread and within a short period .
of time they would appear at random all over the body. These .
swellings, to anyone unfortunate enough to contract them, were .
definite signs that they would soon die (Bunson 93). .
Another common symptom of the Black Plague is the .
appearance of black blood under the skin after death. Severe .