Unit 17

UNIT 17 WORD LIST ailing If something is ailing, it is sickly or not doing well. Antonio's ailing health caused his head to hurt. alike If two people or things are alike, they are similar to each other. The brothers looked so much alike that it was impossible to tell one from the other. appall To appall means to disgust someone. Minerva was appalled when she read the email from her enemy. bathe To bathe means to wash oneself with water. The mermaid bathed herself in the ocean. bounds Bounds is the area in a game in which plays are legal. If your ball lands outside the lines, it's out of bounds. critique To critique means express an opinion about the good and the bad parts of something. My job is to critique the food at various restaurants. demography Demography is the study of people and populations. If you study demography, you'll see huge population growth in some areas of the world. diagnosis A diagnosis is a doctor's decision about the cause of an illness. The vet's diagnosis was that our dog had a broken leg. dip A dip is a decline or a worsening in condition. The economy experienced a dip in the 1930s, leading many workers to lose their jobs. distress Distress is a feeling of sadness and anxiousness. We were in great distress when our home was destroyed during the last hurricane.

fever A fever is when a body's temperature is higher than normal. He had to miss school because he was sick with a fever. grim Something that is grim is worrying, serious, and scary. The boy made the grim discovery that he had accidentally deleted his homework. gut Someone's gut is their intestines, where food is processed after leaving the stomach. Thousands of bacteria live in your gut and help you digest food. helmet A helmet is a type of hard hat that protects your head. When exploring underground caves, it is important to always wear a helmet. herb An herb is a plant used for cooking or medicine. I couldn't decide which herb I wanted to buy at the market. militant If someone is militant, they are angry and aggressive, and willing to fight easily. The woman delivered an angry, militant speech on the floor of the legislature. miracle A miracle is an unexpected blessing which seems almost impossible, like a gift from heaven. A miracle happened when Rosalita won over 60 million dollars in the lottery. mourn To mourn means to show or feel great sadness when you lose someone. The entire family mourned their grandfather's death together. nonsense Nonsense are words or ideas that are silly or foolish. The baby was talking nonsense into the phone. physician A physician is a doctor. The physician was a friendly man who did his best with all of his patients.

The Black Plague In the 1300s, a grim disease known as the Black Plague appalled the world, spreading rapidly from city to city like wildfire. People from China to England fell ill—no one was spared, as the disease struck young and old alike, without mercy. The incidence of death was terribly high. One out of every three people in Europe perished, some, however, believe it to be one out of every two. Overall, between 75 million and 200 million people passed away, greatly changing the demography of the region. It would take 200 years before the population level rose again. The Black Plague created fear that knew no bounds. The first symptom to occur was the onset of a fever, quickly followed by a terrible pain in the patient's gut. The patient's skin then turned black, their armpits swelled, and blood poured out of their bodies. The victims were in great distress, which was worsened because those around them were afraid of any contact, making the victim's suffering even more horrible. Loved ones would pray for a miracle with every dip in a family member's health, hoping they would escape the need to mourn them. Nothing could stop this terrible illness, and because so many died, they had to be buried together in giant graves. Without a proper or accurate diagnosis, physicians at the time were unaware of the existence of herbs or other medicines that could cure or help the ailing people. The doctors were negatively critiqued because of this perceived failing, so several efforts were made by others to find cures. Most of these efforts were nonsense. For example, some believed that wearing special helmets shaped like birds would stave off or cure the disease. Other "cures" were dangerous and cruel— people of different religions were burned alive, as some thought that a religion was somehow responsible for the onset of the Plague. The world in the 1300s was a dirty place in which few people bathed themselves. Germs and bacteria were easily transmitted to others. Rats were everywhere, and fleas living off the rats carried the Black Plague from house to house, defeating the population's most militant efforts to stop it.