CHRONICLES OF THE BLACK DEATH: Pus, Pee, and Plague Doctors – Medieval Medicine’s Worst Moments

#WeirdDarknessRadio WEEK OF JUNE 15, 2025: During the Black Death, medieval Europeans bathed in vinegar, slept on rotting straw, dumped waste in the streets — and still couldn’t figure out why everyone was dying.
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HOUR ONE: During the bubonic plague in the early Middle-Ages, those who became sick and were even suspected of having the plague, were forced to relocate to a quarantined island – Poveglia Island. The gruesomeness that took place there still continues today, with the island being illegal to visit – and reportedly, very haunted. (Inside Black Plague Island) *** We look at some of the bathing – and lack thereof – that took place during the bubonic plague, as well as some of the beliefs they had about diet and how it might protect from contagion. Some of the ideas of what people thought could protect them from the disease are nothing short of shocking. (Living With The Black Death)
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HOUR TWO: About 80 years after the black plague began, a different plague came upon England – a fatal one that would cause you to almost instantly perspire to death. (Death By Sweat) *** Most everyone is familiar with the plague in Europe in the early 1400s – but in the early 1900s it struck again. This time in San Francisco. If you’ve not heard that before, it could be because the U.S. government tried to cover it up. (The Plague of San Francisco) *** Of all the imagery that comes to mind when hearing the words “bubonic plague” the most prevalent is most certainly that of the doctors – and the odd, bird-like masks they would wear. Why they dressed that way is interesting – but what the doctors did while wearing those suits and in their labs as they tried to battle the illness is absolutely horrifying. (Plague Doctors) *** And it probably comes as no surprise that something so deadly and horrific as the black plague would leave behind some residual paranormal energy – and boy is there a lot of it. (A Plague of Ghosts)
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SUDDEN DEATH OVERTIME: We look at some of the bathing – and lack thereof – that took place during the bubonic plague, as well as some of the beliefs they had about diet and how it might protect from contagion. Some of the ideas of what people thought could protect them from the disease are nothing short of shocking. (Living With The Black Death – CONTINUED) *** Europe just could not escape plagues of any kind – for example, the plague that made you, against your will, keep dancing until you dropped dead. (The Dance of Death)
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SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM TONIGHT’S SHOW:
“Inside Black Plague Island” by Cheryl Adams Richkoff for Graveyard Shift: https://tinyurl.com/v85y7k6
“Plague Doctors” by Melissa Sartore for Ranker’s Weird History: https://tinyurl.com/rmap5d8
“Death By Sweat” by Melissa Sartore for Ranker’s Weird History: https://tinyurl.com/vqpvgrz
“The Dance of Death” by Melissa Satore for Ranker’s Weird History: https://tinyurl.com/u6kdwgp
“The Plague of San Francisco” by Melissa Brinks for Ranker’s Weird History: https://tinyurl.com/sbaht69
“Living With The Black Death” by Genevieve Carlton for Ranker’s Weird History: https://tinyurl.com/tcbo9af,https://tinyurl.com/sfkjhrg; and Kellen Perry for Ranker: https://tinyurl.com/u4bxkuf
“A Plague of Ghosts”