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London's plague of 1665 has continued to be a subject that intrigues
not only the historian but the general reader. An infection that spread to kill
nearly a fifth of the city's population became, in author W. G. Bell's words,
'a tragedy of the poor,' as more fortunate citizens had the means to escape the
city. The Great Plague in London, reprinted from
the popular first edition of 1927, tells the story of the devastating disease,
and examines why the cost was so enormous. Some of the reasons for its severity
were, according to Bell, the basic level of medical knowledge and sanitation,
the politics of concealment, and a refusal to heed warnings (plague had appeared
in other countries, and London had not been entirely free from its infection during
the previous fifty years). Painstakingly researched and
lively in style, Bell's book remains as fascinating as ever and, perhaps, as relevant
as a new epidemic grows ever more problematic in the world today. |
