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The Great Plague
The Great Plague of 1665-6 is the best known epidemic in English history. Its sheer scale--100,000 deaths in London out of a population of 500,000--is overwhelming. The Plague is featured in the works of Pepys and Defoe and described in painstaking detail in the contemporary Bills of Mortality. Porter's book is the only complete modern study of the subject, and he paints a chilling portrait of a society threatened by an uncontrollable disease. THE GREAT PLAGUE looks at all aspects of the epidemic. It describes the disease, gives details of the treatments, and vividly evokes its impact on the country. Highly illustrated, THE GREAT PLAGUE is a well-documented and fascinating account of a devastating epidemic.
- GenresHistoryNonfictionScience
170 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 9, 2016
The Great Plague that struck London and other English shires (including major towns and small villages) in the year 1665, causing unbelievable (to modern readers) death, despair, economic hardship and all kinds of social injustices (many of which were enshrined in policy) is explored in forensic and sometimes repetitive detail in Stephen Porter’s The Great Plague.
Despite commencing with an anecdote from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, where the friar, because of the laws regarding the quarantining of infected houses and their inhabitants during the plague (in England and abroad), is unable to deliver the message to Romeo that Juliet is not really dead (a failure of communication with tragic consequences), this is not really a poetic or, indeed, dramatic recounting of the plague, its origins and social and political impact. But it is a fascinating study into how various governments (from Turkey, France, The Netherlands and more), and especially the English one during the reign of Charles II, dealt with a growing catastrophe.
Whether it was through flight from an infected centre (an option really only available to the wealthy, and of which they availed themselves with relief and scant regard for those they left behind), incarceration in a “pest-house”, being locked up for forty days with other victims in a suspect house (whether you were infected or not), or taking advantage of human misery by exploiting and stealing, the book explores the various ways people endured (or didn’t). Among a range of topics, Porter discusses the Bills of Mortality, released weekly and which listed causes of death in each parish, examining the way in which the plague spread, ebbed and flowed, how various government and medical bodies dealt with the rising death count and how the thinning population and various laws around trade and public gatherings affected industry and mercantile matters as well.
Porter is at pains to show how the plague wasn’t just a social disaster, but an economic one as well that some centres recovered from quicker than others. He also reveals how the lack of preparation and medical knowledge likely aided the spread but also how, in the end, it affected its end.
The main focus is London, but Porter devotes an entire chapter to the English provinces and, in the latter part, ventures to the continent and beyond. Here the book does become repetitive and appears, especially towards the end, to lack heart. I know it’s strange and perhaps not even appropriate to discuss this in relation to a non-fiction book, but I have read others that at least show empathy towards the suffering and misery all this death caused. Porter avoids sentimentality or even sympathy, making this a cold read and placing the reader in a position, I guess, not unlike those in authority who had to suspend their emotions and make difficult calls (though were many who lamented the laws, protested on behalf of the poor and demanded human rights be addressed and suffering end). I am not persuaded this approach was entirely necessary. As an example, Porter argues that while the numbers of people lost were considerable (he coolly describes entire families being “wiped out” - using mainly eye-witness accounts - Samuel Pepys eg, or how one person from every household in a street is killed), the appellation “Great Plague” is likely a misnomer when one considers the actual body count, citing earlier and later plagues and per capita losses to support his claim. As an academic, I can appreciate this perspective, but am still to be persuaded it was entirely necessary. “Great” is also an adjective that does not have to be quantified through numbers. When you talk about death in such a way, reducing it to a statistic instead of inviting the reader to consider the humanity underpinning such extraordinary numbers, you basically miss the point. Porter also states, during the mid-1660s in London, not only was there plague and war with the Dutch to contend with, but also in 1666, the “Great Fire.” In context then, with so many catastrophic events the plague of 1665 (which in some centres started before this and continued well into 1666), and its impact on the human psyche was certainly “great”. Again, consideration of the economic hardship, let alone the losses and experiences at the individual and familial level – different across the class structures – is something that sits at the margins of the book when they could have also been at its heart.
Overall, this was an interesting and well-researched book that uses contemporary and modern sources to discuss the nature and impact of one of the most dreaded diseases of the past. 3.5 stars
Despite commencing with an anecdote from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, where the friar, because of the laws regarding the quarantining of infected houses and their inhabitants during the plague (in England and abroad), is unable to deliver the message to Romeo that Juliet is not really dead (a failure of communication with tragic consequences), this is not really a poetic or, indeed, dramatic recounting of the plague, its origins and social and political impact. But it is a fascinating study into how various governments (from Turkey, France, The Netherlands and more), and especially the English one during the reign of Charles II, dealt with a growing catastrophe.
Whether it was through flight from an infected centre (an option really only available to the wealthy, and of which they availed themselves with relief and scant regard for those they left behind), incarceration in a “pest-house”, being locked up for forty days with other victims in a suspect house (whether you were infected or not), or taking advantage of human misery by exploiting and stealing, the book explores the various ways people endured (or didn’t). Among a range of topics, Porter discusses the Bills of Mortality, released weekly and which listed causes of death in each parish, examining the way in which the plague spread, ebbed and flowed, how various government and medical bodies dealt with the rising death count and how the thinning population and various laws around trade and public gatherings affected industry and mercantile matters as well.
Porter is at pains to show how the plague wasn’t just a social disaster, but an economic one as well that some centres recovered from quicker than others. He also reveals how the lack of preparation and medical knowledge likely aided the spread but also how, in the end, it affected its end.
The main focus is London, but Porter devotes an entire chapter to the English provinces and, in the latter part, ventures to the continent and beyond. Here the book does become repetitive and appears, especially towards the end, to lack heart. I know it’s strange and perhaps not even appropriate to discuss this in relation to a non-fiction book, but I have read others that at least show empathy towards the suffering and misery all this death caused. Porter avoids sentimentality or even sympathy, making this a cold read and placing the reader in a position, I guess, not unlike those in authority who had to suspend their emotions and make difficult calls (though were many who lamented the laws, protested on behalf of the poor and demanded human rights be addressed and suffering end). I am not persuaded this approach was entirely necessary. As an example, Porter argues that while the numbers of people lost were considerable (he coolly describes entire families being “wiped out” - using mainly eye-witness accounts - Samuel Pepys eg, or how one person from every household in a street is killed), the appellation “Great Plague” is likely a misnomer when one considers the actual body count, citing earlier and later plagues and per capita losses to support his claim. As an academic, I can appreciate this perspective, but am still to be persuaded it was entirely necessary. “Great” is also an adjective that does not have to be quantified through numbers. When you talk about death in such a way, reducing it to a statistic instead of inviting the reader to consider the humanity underpinning such extraordinary numbers, you basically miss the point. Porter also states, during the mid-1660s in London, not only was there plague and war with the Dutch to contend with, but also in 1666, the “Great Fire.” In context then, with so many catastrophic events the plague of 1665 (which in some centres started before this and continued well into 1666), and its impact on the human psyche was certainly “great”. Again, consideration of the economic hardship, let alone the losses and experiences at the individual and familial level – different across the class structures – is something that sits at the margins of the book when they could have also been at its heart.
Overall, this was an interesting and well-researched book that uses contemporary and modern sources to discuss the nature and impact of one of the most dreaded diseases of the past. 3.5 stars
June 17, 2020
This is an interesting book, particularly in the context of the current covid pandemic.
While Covid is viral and the plague was caused by a bacillus carried by fleas which were hosted by rats from which transmission to humans occurred, there are many strong similarities between the two events.
"The Great Plague" concentrates on the 1665-6 plague in Britain, although it could be argued that the fourteenth century outbreak was more dramatic, causing such loss of life that the whole feudal structure of labour was irrevocably and quite suddenly fractured.
However, the 1665 outbreak occurred during a time of greater literacy and therefore it possibly has a more prominent place in our societal memory.
Notable parallels between the plague's and covid's impacts would include:
* The fear of a disease, the cause of which is, at the time, unknown;
* the early identification of isolation and quarantine as vital interventions;
* the reluctance - or perverse refusal in some cases - to abide by isolation models;
* recriminations over authorities' efforts to prevent or, then, control the phenomenon;
* the tension between health reasons for isolation, and economic reasons for abandoning isolation;
* the tendency of authorities to try to impose rigorous limits on behaviour, and the tendency of elements of society to reject these on the grounds of a right to liberty.
* the failure to meet the goal of completely eliminating the epidemic;
* eventual, not entirely successful, attempts to internationalise strategies;
* suspicion that foreign groups are cheating, failing to reveal all the truth about local outbreaks because of the danger to their economy;
* appearance of crank beliefs in both causes and "cures";
* the conflict between personal or local political exigencies, and the application of rigorous intervention measures;
* the wish to be apply some sort of personal safeguard (C17, fumigation with strong herbs; C21, use of hand sanitiser, masks)
* occasional tension impacting on social cohesion, rejection by some of authority's interventions;
Some of the more obvious differences are:
# Our current more scientific understanding of illness and pathogens;
# profusion of scientific agencies to test both causal hypotheses and potential cures;
# wide belief that, at some stage, Covid will be mitigated by cures, medical pharmaceuticals, preventative inoculations;
# prevalence of voluntary carers;
# current presence of entities such as the U.N. and its various agencies, or the E.U. to provide a degree of international cooperation;
# infection rates and death rates now are vastly lower than those during the plague (In England, it is likely that at least 30% of the population died in both the C14 and the C17 plagues; Covid tends to have <10% death rate, even in the worst affected areas.
# We still don't seem to have accepted the reality that Covid will be a permanent presence, with periodic outbreaks;
# little effort now to interpret this as divine retribution for sin;
Porter's book provides a thorough account of the Great Plague, with an abundance of demographic data; in this regard, it is comprehensive and offers probably as accurate picture as is possible. The style is fairly dry but we can well do without embellished writing on this topic. I would offer the minor quibble that, while there are many pictures included, many of these seem to have been gratuitously chosen (for example, portraits of some fairly minor deuteragonists or titragonists, and the distant panoramas of towns and villagess which did or did not suffer outbreaks). This, however, is minor and, arguably, some buffers within the text are helpful for the reader's digestion.
An interesting account and, just at the moment, unexpectedly relevant.
While Covid is viral and the plague was caused by a bacillus carried by fleas which were hosted by rats from which transmission to humans occurred, there are many strong similarities between the two events.
"The Great Plague" concentrates on the 1665-6 plague in Britain, although it could be argued that the fourteenth century outbreak was more dramatic, causing such loss of life that the whole feudal structure of labour was irrevocably and quite suddenly fractured.
However, the 1665 outbreak occurred during a time of greater literacy and therefore it possibly has a more prominent place in our societal memory.
Notable parallels between the plague's and covid's impacts would include:
* The fear of a disease, the cause of which is, at the time, unknown;
* the early identification of isolation and quarantine as vital interventions;
* the reluctance - or perverse refusal in some cases - to abide by isolation models;
* recriminations over authorities' efforts to prevent or, then, control the phenomenon;
* the tension between health reasons for isolation, and economic reasons for abandoning isolation;
* the tendency of authorities to try to impose rigorous limits on behaviour, and the tendency of elements of society to reject these on the grounds of a right to liberty.
* the failure to meet the goal of completely eliminating the epidemic;
* eventual, not entirely successful, attempts to internationalise strategies;
* suspicion that foreign groups are cheating, failing to reveal all the truth about local outbreaks because of the danger to their economy;
* appearance of crank beliefs in both causes and "cures";
* the conflict between personal or local political exigencies, and the application of rigorous intervention measures;
* the wish to be apply some sort of personal safeguard (C17, fumigation with strong herbs; C21, use of hand sanitiser, masks)
* occasional tension impacting on social cohesion, rejection by some of authority's interventions;
Some of the more obvious differences are:
# Our current more scientific understanding of illness and pathogens;
# profusion of scientific agencies to test both causal hypotheses and potential cures;
# wide belief that, at some stage, Covid will be mitigated by cures, medical pharmaceuticals, preventative inoculations;
# prevalence of voluntary carers;
# current presence of entities such as the U.N. and its various agencies, or the E.U. to provide a degree of international cooperation;
# infection rates and death rates now are vastly lower than those during the plague (In England, it is likely that at least 30% of the population died in both the C14 and the C17 plagues; Covid tends to have <10% death rate, even in the worst affected areas.
# We still don't seem to have accepted the reality that Covid will be a permanent presence, with periodic outbreaks;
# little effort now to interpret this as divine retribution for sin;
Porter's book provides a thorough account of the Great Plague, with an abundance of demographic data; in this regard, it is comprehensive and offers probably as accurate picture as is possible. The style is fairly dry but we can well do without embellished writing on this topic. I would offer the minor quibble that, while there are many pictures included, many of these seem to have been gratuitously chosen (for example, portraits of some fairly minor deuteragonists or titragonists, and the distant panoramas of towns and villagess which did or did not suffer outbreaks). This, however, is minor and, arguably, some buffers within the text are helpful for the reader's digestion.
An interesting account and, just at the moment, unexpectedly relevant.
October 22, 2021
Reading this book whilst in the middle of the COVID pandemic was probably not the wisest move, nevertheless I found this a very interesting read indeed.
The book goes into great detail about the 1665-1666 plague in Britain. The effects on the population, the possible reasons it stopped being an issue, the measures taken, and just generally how they all coped with this most awful of diseases.
I think the people of the day did a great job with the resources that they had and all things considered (since they didn't know the CAUSE of said plague), really tackled the problem in a number of inventive ways.
The author really did his homework whilst researching for this book and even though I am Australian and a lot of the places the author mentions are in various parts of Britain that I have not been, nevertheless it was really worth reading.
4.5 stars from me.
The book goes into great detail about the 1665-1666 plague in Britain. The effects on the population, the possible reasons it stopped being an issue, the measures taken, and just generally how they all coped with this most awful of diseases.
I think the people of the day did a great job with the resources that they had and all things considered (since they didn't know the CAUSE of said plague), really tackled the problem in a number of inventive ways.
The author really did his homework whilst researching for this book and even though I am Australian and a lot of the places the author mentions are in various parts of Britain that I have not been, nevertheless it was really worth reading.
4.5 stars from me.
July 27, 2019
Very intersting book, looking at the impact rather than the disease itself. Would have given 5 stars it it had looked at the whole of the uk and not just predominately London
January 19, 2025
Detailed study of the Great Plague of London. This book focuses on the death statistics of various locales.
March 6, 2017
It may be that one of the reasons why my ancestors left England in the mid-1660s was to avoid the Great Plague epidemic!. Can't imagine wanting to stay in a place where one-quarter to one-third of the people off the people around you were getting sick and dying in a matter of a few days.
May 22, 2011
Not a bad book but maybe a little more indepth and clinical than I was hoping,basically I was wanting a simplistic viewpoint on the plague and it's effects on society and the time just for my own knowledge..I did get that but far more including statistic mortality rates for various areas,births and deaths and chronology of the plague years.
Of more interest where the procedures (legal and otherwise) to limit the spread of plague,whether this be plague houses to the quarantine of ships transporting goods or even plague carriers under an enforced house arrest.
The financial problems caused by Plague due to tax collectors unable to collect and the fact that a costly war with the Dutch was also pulling on public funds was interesting as was the fact that the high mortality rates also did damage to certain trades.
The eventual stalling of Plague in itself seems less clear cut with various probable hypothesis being put forward alongside the usual 'great fire' argument, the change from black to brown rat being one such alternate probable reason for the downturn on plague.
An interesting book especially on the back of recent 'swine flu' scares and a reminder of how the natural world and it's anarchic nature can attack civilisation and usually from man's own meddling.
Of more interest where the procedures (legal and otherwise) to limit the spread of plague,whether this be plague houses to the quarantine of ships transporting goods or even plague carriers under an enforced house arrest.
The financial problems caused by Plague due to tax collectors unable to collect and the fact that a costly war with the Dutch was also pulling on public funds was interesting as was the fact that the high mortality rates also did damage to certain trades.
The eventual stalling of Plague in itself seems less clear cut with various probable hypothesis being put forward alongside the usual 'great fire' argument, the change from black to brown rat being one such alternate probable reason for the downturn on plague.
An interesting book especially on the back of recent 'swine flu' scares and a reminder of how the natural world and it's anarchic nature can attack civilisation and usually from man's own meddling.
April 19, 2013
Very informative, almost too informative. I ended up just skimming the chapters on the provinces - it became so repetitive, this town has this many deaths, etc etc etc. Not terrible, just kind of boring and dry.
June 16, 2015
Great source of information.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews