In 1348, in the illustrious city of Florence, the fairest of all the cities of Italy, there made its appearance that deadly pest
ilence [plague], which, whether scattered by the influence of the celestial bodies, or sent as a punishment from God in His just wrath . . . it had had its origin some years before in the East, where, after destroying a countless multitude of living beings, it had transmitted itself . . . from place to place, and so disastrously, had spread into the West. In Florence, despite all that human wisdom and planning could devise to avert it, as the cleansing of the city from many impurities by officials appointed for the purpose, the refusal of entrance to all sick folk, and the adoption of many precautions for the preservation of health; despite also humble prayers addressed to God, and often repeated both in public procession and otherwise by the devout; towards the beginning of the spring of the said year the miserable effects of the pestilence began to be horribly apparent by symptoms that showed as if miraculous. What were the steps the people of Florence took to stop the spread of plague in the city? Select all that apply. People prayed to God. The city refused entrance to the sick. Leaders hired people to keep the city clean. People looked for miracles in the alignment of planets. Doctors prescribed medicines, such as antibiotics.
Answer: despite some initial success, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation never had its intended impact. By its very structure, it was in some ways a self-defeating agency.
