Hygiene in the Middle Ages

The Origin of the Parasol?

<Hygiene in the Middle Ages: illustrated by AI>

 

Long after Rome fell, Europe had a system where lords ruled over people. But, back in Rome's time, they closed places that supplied water and public baths, so people didn't keep clean well. A lot of people lived close together in small castles or towns run by a lord, which made it easy for sickness to spread.

 

Did you know that the parasol we use today has an interesting history linked to hygiene in the Middle Ages? Back then, people didn't have proper toilets, so they often threw their waste out of their windows. This was obviously very unsanitary and caused problems for anyone walking below. To protect themselves from getting splashed by this waste, people started using umbrellas or parasols. So, the reason we have parasols today is partly because they were used as a shield against falling waste in medieval Europe!

 

 

The Origin of Quarantine During the Plague

<Plague  in medieval Europe>

 

During the 14th century, a terrible sickness called the plague spread through Europe, coming from the Silk Road. This disease, also known as the Black Death, made people very afraid of outsiders because they didn't want the sickness to spread. So, cities started limiting travel between them.

 

In 1348, a place called Ragusa (now known as Dubrovnik in Croatia), made a rule. They said that ships had to wait for 30 days before people could get off, to make sure no one was sick. Later, in 1448, Venice made this waiting time even longer, 40 days. They chose 40 days because most people who got sick with the Black Death would show symptoms or die within 37 days. This 40-day waiting period is where we get our modern word "quarantine," which means keeping people away from others to stop disease from spreading. The word comes from the old Venetian language, where "quarantena" means "40 days."