THE BLACK DEATH IN LONDON

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There have been three major outbreaks of plague. The Plague of Justinian in the 6th and 7th centuries is the first known attack on record and marks the first firmly recorded pattern of plague. Modern estimates suggest that half of Europe's population died as a result of this first plague pandemic before it disappeared in the 700s. After 750, the plague did not appear again in Europe until the Black Death of the 14th century.The second pandemic originated in or near China and was most likely spread by the Silk Road or by ship. It may have reduced the world population from an estimated 450 million to 350-375 million by the year 1400. The plague returned at intervals with varying virulence and mortality until the early 19th century. In England, for example, the plague returned in 1360-63, in 1369, and 1665-1666, also known as the Great Plague of London. The Second Pandemic had a profound impact on the people of Europe. In the few years between 1347 and 1350, a new epidemic disease spread across the entirety of Europe and killed between one-third and two-thirds of the population. While this initial wave was important, the real significance of this disease is that after the first wave, plague remained present in Europe as an endemic disease with occasional sporadic epidemic outbreaks. In this book, I examine, in detail, plague patterns in London, culminating in the last major outbreak in 1665, and I review evidence that the Second Pandemic resulted from Yersinia pestis. During the epidemic, material wealth increased and living patterns changed in ways that altered plaque distribution patterns. Although Londoners did not make much progress in understanding the etiology of plague or in developing treatment protocols, their experience with plague, combined with traditional beliefs and practices, allowed them to develop ordinances that successfully reduced the threat of plague, at least for some members of Greater London. Because of the unique way in which plague is spread, the increased wealth enabled some Londoners to increase their distance from rats, and their fleas, enough to decrease their risk of infection by plague.