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A Journal of the Plague Year: A Warning to All!

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A Journal of the Plague Year: A Warning to All!

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The book gives specific instructions on how to conduct and prepare for a deadly pandemic that threatened to permeate Europe and leave ,masses of deaths in its wake. The recommendations and predictions in the book foretell behaviors during future pandemics with striking similarity.

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Depiction of a man and woman with Bubonic Plague in 15th century Europe 

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Depiction of a man and woman with Bubonic Plague in 15th century Europe 

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The plague was believed to have spanned a little over 3 centuries, between 1348 and 1665. The "Black Plague" marking the 14th century occurrence and the "Great Plague" marking the culmination of the plague years in 1665, were only two of a staggering 40 plagues that pervaded Medieval London.

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Image of the bacteria causing "Black Death", which scientists have determined to likely be extinct. The bacteria, identified as Yersinia Pestis only within the past 7 years during excavation of a Black Death burial site, was once thought to be exclusively transmitted by rodents carrying infected insects. We now know that a multitude of animal species both domestic and wild, including horses, camels, dogs, rabbits, marmots and birds can be potential vectors for disease.

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Map of plague disbursement in pre-industrial Europe

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Map of plague disbursement in pre-industrial Europe

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The plague was thought to travel more readily across port cities and endure multiple cycles of regression and recurrence, based on international trade. During the outbreaks of both the 14th and 17th centuries, commerce was limited as a means of hampering the spread. Foreigners began to be perceived as outsiders and required special passes in order to cross borders. Scapegoating was quite common. Sound familiar?

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Current global map of plague distribution- 2013-2018

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Current global map of plague distribution- 2013-2018

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Though thought to be entirely exterminated, the plague continues to affect some rural areas of the United States, while disproportionately affecting regions of Asia and Africa, in spite of effective antibiotics. At its inception, it spanned across the globe and was responsible for wiping out approximately 50% of the populations of Europe, Africa and Asia. The exact numbers are not known, due to inconsistent recording mechanisms. Most data were collected from firsthand accounts of survivors.

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As is evident by the diagram, the Great Plague of the 17th century did not claim quite as many lives as that of the earlier Black Plague of the 14th century, however was still significant at 3 million. Even in an era with scant attention to public health, other than quarantining, the numbers demonstrate how quickly a disease can become an epidemic, followed by a pandemic.

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The image below depicts a "quarantine village". The term quarantine has existed since the time of the original plague and is rooted in Medieval Italy, deriving from the word Quaranta, meaning 40. 40 days was the typical time frame during which this segment of the population would be isolated from the general public. This method, in addition to improving sanitary conditions, distributing sanitary bills to ships, fumigation, and regulation of groups believed to be responsible for the spread of infection, have been the preferred disease control interventions for centuries. The methods have more recently sparked political, ethical and socioeconomic examination. Though quarantining has evolved into self-quarantining, the rationale remains much the same.

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Apothecary Remedies for Common Ailments in Medieval Europe

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Apothecary Remedies for Common Ailments in Medieval Europe

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The treatments identified for many ailments of the 14th and 17th centuries consisted of natural or herbal remedies which proved ineffective in combating bacterial as well as viral infections. Most perceived that taking precautions by staying away from those who were infected served as the best safeguard against illness. Very often, however, there was no single set of symptoms to differentiate the Plague from other illnesses. Clinical presentations could vary, leading to challenges in containing the illness.

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During the Plague years, the value of working class individuals, including farmers, became paramount. Their governments strived to prevent them from migrating, however were unsuccessful. Most who could, fled from urban areas which were more densely populated, to less populated areas to escape the turmoil. Some scientists argue that the Plague served to equalize society socioeconomically, while also being a means of reducing over-cultivation of agriculture and lessening displacement of natural habitats of wildlife. In the textbook Essentials of Public Health (Turnock, 2016), population growth is listed as one of the biggest threats to public health.