Bloodletting: The Movie by lucy

Bloodletting: The Movie by lucy - August 2018 Scholarship Essay

My podcast would be an examination of both disease in history and the effect of disease on history; a well-researched and thorough program which nevertheless maintains a lighthearted and humorous air in the face of an eon of death and misery. It would be called Bloodletting:The Movie, which would be ironic considering it is, in fact, a podcast. The phrase 'Bloodletting' refers to the ancient practice of draining the blood of sick people in a fallacious belief that it would help the afflicted, or at least stop their whining. That last bit was just a small sample of the God-tier humor my podcast can offer you, the discerning podcast listener.
Sample episodes would include, "Smallpox Is A Misnomer, It's Real Big," "40% of Europe Is Gone But No One Liked Them Anyway," and "Polio Ruins a Pool Party." Smallpox would probably have to be at least a two-parter, the first half examining its early history and role in the colonization of the America's, the second plotting it's demise beginning with Edward Jenner and his 1796 invention of the vaccine and ending with the official eradication of Smallpox in the 1980's. The focus would be not as much on the disease itself, but trather it's surprising echoes in culture and society.
For example, Bubonic Plague ended serfdom in Western Europe. This is a bold claim, so allow me to lay it out for you: the feudal system relied on nine in ten people working the land they were legally tied to in a system similar to but functionally distinct from slavery, while the tenth man collected the fruits of their labor, and, ostensibly, provided protection from invaders like the Vikings. When the plague hit in the 1340's, Viking invasions were a thing of the past, so the only thing keeping the machine going was its own momentum. The plague killed over one in three overall, but in many places the toll was much higher.
The population was devastated and society was in shambles, so not only were traditional social bonds like that of feudalism weakened, but the work of an individual's labor rose due to a decrease in supply. Serfs saw that their work had value, and that the bonds that tied them were looser than before. By the end of the middle ages, most of Western Europe, led by England, who was the hardest hit by plague, had abandoned serfdom. It is not a coincidence that Eastern Europe, which due to climate was less affected, held onto serfdom much longer.
Disease is a lense through which to view history, though one that isn't often used. But the truth is that it is perhaps even more useful than studying the large scale political changes or artistic movements.This is because the history of ailments is the history of the common people. An average person in 1517 is not affected by the knowledge that Renaissance mastery of technical painting is being replaced by the emotional and distorted manipulations of Mannerism and Baroque styles. What they care about is the fact that Sweating Sickness is tearing through the country following the harsh winter.
That universal and even personal element is what makes the history of disease so fascinating, and why, if I had an educational podcast, that would be the topic. This has been ‘Bloodletting: The Movie,’ don’t forget to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and check out our sponsor, Audible.com.