The Great Plague

The Great Plague

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In 1665, there was a outbreak of the Plague, all over England. 7,000 deaths were recorded in one week. In the whole outbreak 100,000 Londoners died. The disease was spread by fleas carried on rats, just like the Black Death. In Derbyshire in Eyam, fleas on cloth travelled from London to Eyam. They isolated themselves to prevent the Great Plague. 273 died from 350. 1/5 died. 

People had the same ideas of how they got the Great Plague with the Black Death. They thought there was an unusual alignment between Saturn and Jupiter in October 1664, and between Mars and Saturn on November 12th, whcih happens to have trouble ahead. With the Black Death, they beleived in astrology, however they either thought good or bad things would happen. 

People believed God gave them the Great Plague to punish people. Miasma was still believed in, they thought it had been created by rubbish and dung - hills. When the weather turned warmer, the vapour would pour out of the earth as a plague - carrying miasma. In Summer the rats came out and in Winter the rats did not come out. They came up with this theory, as when the weather turned warmer there were outbreak of the plague. Other people believed the disease was spread from person to person. This is a change, but there was no proof, as well as being not popular.

Physicians told…