This picture shows the plague flea, 3000 times
larger that life. Before this discovery, people thought they caught plague
by breathing something in the air.It was not until 1894 that scientists discovered the cause of the plague. It came from a germ which lived on that fleas that lived on the Black Rats. When the rats died, the flea moved to live on humans, and the plague germ got into their blood. Towns in the Middle Ages were crowded, dirty places. There was a lot of rubbish about for the rats to feed on. Most people had fleas anyway,so they had no idea that it was the fleas that carried the plague germ.
This picture shows the plague flea, 3000 times
larger that life. Before this discovery, people thought they caught plague
by breathing something in the air.
Therefore they often carried bunches of flowers and herbs to keep the germ away.
