Pandemics, Society, and Public Health, 1517–1925 - Volumes
Volumes
4 volumes in Pandemics, Society, and Public Health, 1517–1925
Cholera
The archival sources in this volume chart the influence of cholera in the UK throughout the nineteenth century (although it also contains some documents relating to the disease from the twentieth century). Cholera is an infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. It spreads through contaminated water and food, leading to severe diarrhoea and dehydration. Originally, cholera was endemic to the Indian subcontinent. Due to increased global trade throughout... Read more →
Influenza
This volume is concerned with influenza, specifically the effects of the influenza pandemic of 1918–1920 in the UK. Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is caused by influenza viruses, particularly the H1N1 influenza A virus. Unlike plague, cholera, and smallpox, influenza was not regarded as a “notifiable disease” until the early twentieth century. It was considered to be a seasonal infection due to its common symptoms such as high fever,... Read more →
Plague
The archival sources in this volume relate to plague. It is a bacterial illness transmitted to humans via infected fleas typically found on small animals such as rats, and occasionally through contact with contaminated bodily fluids. Common plague symptoms include fever, vomiting, delirium, expelling blood, and enlargement of the lymph nodes resulting in swelling to the groin and armpits. Between 1665 and 1666, London was struck with its most severe... Read more →
Smallpox
This volume is concerned with smallpox. Caused by the Variola virus, smallpox is regarded as one of the deadliest diseases in human history. It is characterised by an initial fever and vomiting, followed by the formation of a distinctive rash with fluid-filled blisters. Mortality rates were extremely high, particularly for young children. Smallpox was a leading cause of death in eighteenth century Europe. It frequently left survivors disabled. In the... Read more →
