Galveston Bubonic Plague Analysis

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Do you ever wonder if where you live or your occupation could play a big part in what happens in the future? In 1920, the bubonic plague made an appearance touching eighteen people. Of those eighteen, twelve died, but why where they the only ones affected? Even though compared to the Black Death this a miniscule number, disease needs a path to follow and certain people unfortunately fall in its way. It is like the disease is leaving clues for us to find and observe. Galveston had a variety of cultures and livelihood making it an obstacle for the plague to spread. Each person who was plagued had certain characteristics that made them highly susceptible for contact with each other and the disease. Location can make the difference in how, for how long, and to whom the disease can be transferred.…show more content…
A tropical disease researcher, Mark F. Boyd, and partner T.W. Kemmerer, observed that “several of the former cases [were] spotted both according to residence and place of employment (Boyd and Kemmerer 1755). For example, according to public health reports, a seventeen year old boy made a life for himself by working in a feed store, but little did he know he was being exposed to the plague on daily basis to the plague. Once the symptoms took control of his body he died a few hours later. Then eight days later the same symptoms began to show in his fellow co-worker. Auspiciously, she was able to be treated and return home on July 3 (Levy and McMicken 198). Feed stores are a common place for rats to roam, it is inevitable, but we see that it happened more than once and several days later. Compared to an office, a feed store increases any chance of obtaining the disease

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