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Middle Ages

15 Weird Ways People Tried to Survive the Black Plague

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6. Avoiding Bathing

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Miniature by Pierart dou Tielt illustrating the Tractatus quartus bu Gilles li Muisit (Tournai, c. 1353). The people of Tournai bury victims of the Black Death. ms. 13076 – 13077 fol. 24v. Source: Wikipedia

In an odd twist, many believed that bathing made you more vulnerable to the plague by opening the skin’s pores. As a result, people avoided washing themselves for weeks or even months. Unfortunately, this practice only worsened living conditions and likely contributed to the rapid spread of disease. Why medieval people shunned bathing

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