Download The Marseilles Plague of 1720: A Historical Overview of a Deadly Epidemic - Prof. Ann Carm and more Study notes World History in PDF only on Docsity! H213 notes, 1 November 2010 Plague of Marseilles (1720) Overview of the Marseilles plague Showed all of the characteristics of a great plague Displayed some novel features of plague control o Widespread stories – 18th century had early newspapers o Cordon sanitaire o Doctors’ anti-plague dress now the standard o Scientific Revolution influenced debate Conventions of great plague art elaborated Common plague features in Marseilles Beginning point identified by blaming particular individuals & events Death rates rose before announcement/admission that plague was present o Fear of economic isolation leads to denial Peaked in August and September; though still murderous in October (over 50% died) o Created massive management problems Novel aspects of this plague Active and published scientific debate on the “causes” of plague (was plague contagious, or was it due to environmental factors?) o Included experimentation o Full use of plague barrier clothing National-level control over trade and travel from an infected region (=cordons sanitaires) Citizens elsewhere following stories of the epidemic in “real time” because now newspapers Plague created governing problems at every stage Delays in announcing plague Regional government sealed off city while locals were bickering: the famous plague wall Nation needed the port; so royal troops arrived 3 October, when epidemic still raging A huge management problem: burying the dead Debates about where to put all the dead Plague stories were dramatized in newspapers around a dark figure: the Chevalier Rose o Nobleman who volunteered after martial law imposed o Used convicts and soldiers to clear cadavers from the streets -- 95% died Plague stories also emphasized in plague art from this epidemic Medical problems connected to plague management Disagreements within medical communities o Contagion vs. corruption of air as cause of plague Management of isolation facilities Experts from Montpellier came in to resolve the cause issue, but furthered divisions No systematic provisions for the living o Upper-echelon Church authorities fled o Lower level Catholic priests and monks stayed o Prominent university doctors were not active, though still wanted to dictate what others would do Contagionist management of plague overall Public health controls were contagionist: o Maritime quarantine o Maritime pesthouse at Toulon French treatises on the design of plague doctor’s attire – earliest published description 1630 National level military barrier, to prevent spread of plague to the rest of France: the cordon sanitaire o French had success by using quarantine at regional level (evidence over the 17th century shows the impact of that policy) Elite doctors instead emphasized corruption of the air, at least initially Physicians from Montpellier sent to evaluate causes o The scientifically correct view in 1720 was not “contagion” o But these physicians became very afraid in October o Healed in tented pavilions at the city’s periphery o No touching or bedside cures Experimentation o Took blood, and matter from buboes and sores and did experiments on those substances o the investigation of plague in these ways shows the impact of the Scientific Revolution Marseilles plague: so murderous Over 50% of those who could not escape got plague 100,000 before ~10,000 fled 60,000/90,000 (2/3) got plague Around 50,000 died
