The Great Plague 1665

The Great Plague in London

• This was the largest populated town in Britain and plague deaths were first reported in April and May 1665. By July, the plague was widespread in London. Many who had the option, fled from the city into their countryside estates. For the poor people of London, there was no option but to stay and brave the epidemic.
• The authorities made every effort to contain the epidemic:
• Orders to restrict the movement of people in and out of the capital were made but it was difficult to enforce this
• Theatres and other places of large public gatherings were closed
• A house containing someone suffering from the plague had to be sealed for 40 days with a red cross and words 'Lord have mercy upon us' marked on the door
• Dogs and cats were to be caught and killed; people believed they were spreading the disease
• All bodies were to be buried at night to reduce the spread of the disease
• These measures failed and the disease spread like wildfire during the heat of summer. By the end of 1665, the worst of the plague had occurred. An estimated 70,000-100,000 had died. It was the Great Fire of 1666 that helped cleanse the city of the disease.

The Great Plague in London

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• Beliefs about the causes:
• It was a punishment from God for the sins of man. People sought forgiveness through prayer and repentance hoping this would spare them of the plague
• It was caused by bad air ('miasma')
• It was spread by dogs and cats
• Medical treatment:
• Primitive treatment that relied on herbal remedies, nostrums and charms
• Some carried sweet-smelling flowers to get rid of the smell of bad air
• Some men began smoking a pipe of tobacco in the hope the smoke would kill off the plague
• People believed the bad air spread the infection; doors and windows were shut and people burned rosemary and incense to counteract the bad air
• Some took possets, a mixture of boiled milk, ale and bread

Public Health: 16th and 17th Centuries

• Towns and cities at this time were incredibly unhealthy places to live. The 16th century in London consisted of numerous outbreaks of the plague. In 1647, the corporation in Aberdeen passed regulations in an attempt to control the plague. However, there was some recognition of the need to improve public health.
• Henry VIII identified the problems of slaughterhouses and had them forbidden to be located within towns and cities
• 1532 - Henry VIII passed an act of parliament giving towns and cities the power to impose a tax in order to construct sewers
• 1547 - people were banned from going toilet in the courtyards of the Royal Palaces
• People were making links between dirt and disease, but towns and cities were growing so fast it was impossible to regulate things to keep them clean

Public Health: 16th and 17th Centuries

• After the Great Fire of London in 1666 an act of parliament was passed to rebuild London
• This act was designed to limit fire destruction by making streets wider, and insisting houses were built of stone with tiled roofs
• Historians argue that the rebuilding of London in the 17th century made it a healthier place
• 1690 - an act of parliament was passed that required the paving and cleaning of the streets in London and the surrounding areas
• Further acts in the future highlighted the removal of dung, cleaning of common stairways and prohibiting of keeping pigs in dwelling houses
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• Bildunterschrift: The Great Fire of London 1666