Question 1 of 12Correct: 0
Where does the word "quarantine" come from?
Why did the measure work despite the wrong explanation?
Why were herbs and spices packed into the mask's beak?
Why might a plague doctor's outfit have offered some protection?
Why could workers demand more after the plague?
Why did quarantine appear before the pathogen was discovered?
What appeared in cities in response to cholera?
What determined the depth of changes after an epidemic?
What stopped the 1918 pandemic?
What did mortality in different cities depend on?
How did miasma theory explain epidemics?
How did the mistaken theory prove useful?
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Why Quarantine Was Invented in Venicein the app0/2Why doctors wore beaked masks0/2How the Plague Reshaped Europein the app0/2How Epidemics Reshaped Citiesin the app0/2What stopped the Spanish flu0/2What Is Miasma Theory?0/2
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Answers and explanations12 questions
- Where does the word "quarantine" come from? The number forty: ships were held at anchor that longThe period was first thirty days, then extended, and that gave quarantine its name.From “Why Quarantine Was Invented in Venice”
- Why did the measure work despite the wrong explanation? The period was longer than the time it took the disease to appearThe right action can work even with the wrong theory if it targets the real mechanism.From “Why Quarantine Was Invented in Venice”
- Why were herbs and spices packed into the mask's beak? To overpower foul smellsDoctors believed disease was carried by spoiled air, so they tried to overpower it with a strong scent.From “Why doctors wore beaked masks”
- Why might a plague doctor's outfit have offered some protection? Covered clothing made it harder for fleas to biteMiasmas did not exist, but waxed clothing, gloves, and boots made it harder for fleas to reach the skin.From “Why doctors wore beaked masks”
- Why could workers demand more after the plague? There were fewer workers than jobsThere were fewer people, but the economy remained, so labor became more expensive and workers could choose.From “How the Plague Reshaped Europe”
- Why did quarantine appear before the pathogen was discovered? Cities noticed the risk from people and cargoCities did not yet know what caused the plague, but they saw its link to arriving people and cargo.From “How the Plague Reshaped Europe”
- What appeared in cities in response to cholera? Separating water supplies and sewer systemsObservation of a water pump in one London neighborhood showed that the problem was in the water, not bad air.From “How Epidemics Reshaped Cities”
- What determined the depth of changes after an epidemic? Decisions made while the outbreak was fresh and funds were availableProjects were discussed for decades and approved within months of another outbreak.From “How Epidemics Reshaped Cities”
- What stopped the 1918 pandemic? More people recovering after several wavesThere were no medicines or vaccines then.From “What stopped the Spanish flu”
- What did mortality in different cities depend on? The timing and duration of restrictionsWhere mass gatherings were canceled in the first few days, the curve was noticeably lower.From “What stopped the Spanish flu”
- How did miasma theory explain epidemics? Foul air from decay and filthThe logic was observational: people got sick where there was a stench.From “What Is Miasma Theory?”
- How did the mistaken theory prove useful? It led to sanitary reforms that lowered mortalityThe measures hit the target while missing the explanation: the source was filth.From “What Is Miasma Theory?”