Why couldn't plague doctors treat the plague in 1665?

• A. Lacked funding
• B. Didn't understand germs
• C. They had no remedies at all
• D. Were discouraged by authorities

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is that medical knowledge at the time did not include the idea of germs causing disease. In 1665, plague doctors still worked with the humoral theory and miasma belief—that disease came from an imbalance of body fluids or from bad air—so they focused on blocking air, balancing humours, or using ritual or symptomatic remedies. They had no understanding of bacteria or how plague actually spreads, so there was no targeted treatment that could combat the underlying cause. Antibiotics, vaccines, and effective antiseptics didn’t exist, and transmission by fleas or rats wouldn’t be recognized for centuries. Because they didn’t know what actually caused the plague, their treatments could only be cosmetic, palliative, or based on ineffective theories, making success unlikely. That’s why not understanding germs is the best answer.