jan 1, 1665 - The Great Plague
Description:
|1665|
The only other outbreak of plague in England since the Black Death, this makes it very useful to compare against.
CAUSES:
There was very little change in what people believed to cause the great plague. Miasma was a very common explanation. Far fewer people believed it was an imbalance of the four humours. Despite a loss in power of the church, sinfulness and Gods anger were still thought to cause the plague
TREATMENTS:
There was very little change in treatment of the plague. Praying, supernatural charms, herbal remedies bleeding and purging all remained and most physicians fled London. New treatments included:
- The transfer theory
- It was thought the disease could be 'sweat out'
DIFFERENCES:
The real difference between the two plagues was the government action. The king ordered the following to stop the plague from spreading:
- Theatres and large gatherings were banned
- Dogs and cats were killed
- Streets were regularly cleaned
- The dead were collected every day and carted off to be burnt and buried in mass graves
- Days of fasting and public prayer were introduced
- If someone caught the plague their whole family were boarded into their house or taken to a pest house
These orders were unsuccessful however due to parliament refusing to turn them into laws. The king, his council and 6/9 men tasked with dealing with the plague all fled London meaning people just ignored the orders.
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