Bubonic Plague
To this day, one of the most deadly epidemics to descend upon London is The Bubonic Plague, or The Great Plague. It was not until the late 19th century, approximately 300 years later, that research teams identified the Plague’s probable cause. During the height of the epidemic, lack of knowledge, or ignorance, played a deadly role. Most of the methods adopted by the Londoner’s is an attempt to control the rapid spread of the epidemic, by all accounts perpetuated the problem.
Margaret Porteous, was the first documented death from The Plague on April 12, 1665. Out of the most deadly diseases, The Plague was the most feared disease. By the 17th century, the disease was of epidemic proportions and had ravished London. By July 1665, approximately three months after the first known recording of The Plague, the disease had spread throughout London with devastating results. Panic and chaos was wide spread. King Charles II fled London, with his family, and sought refuge in Oxford. Businesses were shut down. Resources were limited for the victims of the disease. Very few apothecaries remained open for business and only a few physicians chose to remain in London to assist the victims.(Bell 2)
In London, due to an influx of population growth, most Londoners were forced to reside in cramped living conditions. The average Londoner lived in small, filthy house. This posed additional health problems. The only method they had to dispose of household waste and human waste was to throw the waste into the streets. This manner of waste disposal, incorporated with
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1665 recorded as one of the hottest summers on record, resulted in the perfect breeding grounds for rodents, rats in particular. Though not understood at the time, the plague first ravished the lower socially economic citizens; the poverty stricken areas.
The culprit of the plague was the Bacterium Persinia Aestis. Numerous...
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