The Great Plague 1665
A plague is a serious, infectious disease that spreads quickly and causes death. In Britain, plagues, killing tens of thousands of people, have struck many times.
One of the worst plagues that happened in British history was the Great Plague in 1665 - almost 100,000 people were killed just in London alone and thousands more around the country.
What caused the plague?
What the people believed:
1. Back then, people thought that the plague was caused by the positions of the planets or sent as a punishment from God.
2. It was spread by touching a cat or dog.
3. Caused by poisonous air (miasma).
The real cause of the plague:
However, one of the theories behind the real cause of the plague was that it was caused by germs that lived in the blood of black rats and the fleas on their bodies. These fleas would hop onto humans, bite them and pass on the disease.
These plague-infected rats and fleas were believed to have aboard boats bringing goods from Netherlands to England, bringing along the disease with them.
How did the disease spread so rapidly?
The black rats which carried the fleas and plague germs flourished in the filthy, dirty, overcrowded streets of London and several other towns. The dirtier the areas, the more plague victims there were.
Furthermore, a person was more likely to catch the plague if they have been in close contact with an infected person.
How did the people try to control the spread of the plague?
The people who believed that the plague was caused by poisonous air, tried to get rid of the "bad air" by smoking a lot, chewing tobacco and carrying around bunches of flowers. They will also put a gold coin which has been placed in vinegar for one day in their mouth and keep it there.
They also believed that wearing a dead frog around the neck and carrying a lucky rabbit's food can keep the plague away.
The Mayor of London and his council passed a set of rules and regulations as an attempt to stop the spread of the plague. These include:
1. Houses with plague victims are boarded up and marked with a large cross with the words "Lord have mercy on us". The house will be guarded so no one can enter or leave the house for a month after the last victim has died or recovered.
2. There are special plague cemeteries, and the dead are only to be buried at night.
3. Victims' clothing should be burned.
4. Pubs and theatres to be closed.
5. Homeowners must sweep the streets outside their homes.
6. Dogs and cats to be killed and all animals are banned from the city.
A plague doctor visiting victims will wear a mask with glass visor, along with a beak stuffed with perfume or spices. They also wear leather gloves to avoid skin contact with the sick and a long leather coat; this costume often worked as the thick leather protected them from fleas.
What was its impact to Britain and the world?
1. Most rich Londoners, including King Charles II left London.
2. The poor were left in London and were forced to beg for food because the plague affected business badly.
3. Up to 100,000 Londoners died, with over half a million people estimated to have died from the plague across the country.
4. Parliament was postponed and court cases were moved to Oxford.
5. All trade with London and other plague towns was stopped. There were to be no fairs or trade with other countries. Hence, many people lost their jobs - from servants to shoemakers.
6. The Council of Scotland declared that the border with England would be closed.
Impacts of the outbreaks
In both cases, many people fell ill, and many died from the outbreak. People were subjected to quarantines and lockdowns to prevent the spread of the virus. While most trades stopped during The Great Plague 1665, some businesses could still operate during the Covid-19 pandemic due to the availability of online resources which made working from home possible.
Conclusion
The Great Plague 1665 happened due to plague-infected rats which flourished in dirty, overcrowded places in London. The poor, which had low levels of hygiene were the ones which were most affected by the plague. I believe that the Great Plague 1665 could have been avoided if there were proper drainages, and also good hygiene level in the city of London. Rats would have not been able to survive if it was not as filthy. Nowadays, plagues could also be treated with antibiotics so the number of cases we see from plagues are not that high.
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