The Great Plague of 1665

In 1665, the plague returned to England, and this devastating outbreak became known as the Great Plague of London. It was one of the deadliest pandemics in British history, claiming the lives of approximately 100,000 people in London, which represented around a quarter of the city's population. The spread of the disease was exacerbated by poor sanitation and hygiene practices, as waste and sewage were commonly discarded in the streets and into the River Thames. This unsanitary environment created ideal conditions for the black rat population to thrive, and these rats, in turn, carried the fleas that spread the Yersinia pestis bacteria, responsible for the bubonic plague.

As the death toll began to rise, many wealthy individuals, including King Charles II, fled London in an attempt to escape the disease. However, their departure risked spreading the plague further across the country. Despite this, the mayor of London, Sir Thomas Bloodworth, remained in the city and coordinated the city's response to the crisis.

Government Action

The response to the Great Plague of 1665-1666 was more organised than previous outbreaks, including the Black Death of 1348-1349. The government introduced several measures to try and limit the spread of the disease, although these efforts were largely based on the medical understanding of the time, which was limited.

One significant action was the imposition of a quarantine for ships entering London. Any vessel suspected of carrying the plague had to remain docked for a period to ensure that no infected individuals disembarked. Additionally, if a household was found to have a member infected with the plague, the entire household was quarantined. A red cross was painted on the door of the house, and the people inside were locked in until they either recovered or died.

To track the number of plague-related deaths, the government employed "searchers," individuals who would walk the streets to inspect houses, identify plague victims, and record the cause of death. The Bills of Mortality were issued weekly, providing invaluable records of the number of deaths and other details about the outbreak. These records show how the number of deaths peaked in the summer of 1665 before decreasing in the winter and continuing into 1666.

Beliefs surrounding the cause of the plague were still largely rooted in ancient theories, such as miasma—the belief that bad air, or "noxious vapours," was responsible for causing disease. In response to this, the authorities ordered fires to be lit in the streets in an attempt to create smoke to purify the air. There was also a belief that stray cats and dogs were spreading the disease, so the mayor ordered the mass killing of these animals. However, this may have worsened the outbreak, as the cats, in particular, were responsible for hunting the rats that carried the fleas responsible for spreading the disease.

Belief in Miasma and Lack of Germ Theory

At the time, the true cause of the plague was not understood. The germ theory of disease, which would not be developed until the late 19th century by scientists like Louis Pasteur, had not yet been discovered. Instead, people continued to believe in miasma (bad air) and the four humours theory, which posited that an imbalance in bodily fluids caused illness. As a result, treatments such as bloodletting and purging were commonly used, though they were ineffective in dealing with the plague. The treatments, based on the belief that disease resulted from an imbalance of the four humours (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile), offered little relief to the infected.

Plague doctors, wearing distinctive outfits designed to protect them from the disease, are among the most iconic images of the Great Plague. These doctors wore long leather cloaks and masks with glass eye openings and a beak-like structure at the front. The beak was typically filled with herbs and spices, which were thought to purify the air and prevent the doctors from inhaling the "bad" miasma. They also wore gloves, hats, and boots to ensure no skin was exposed to the air.

Impact of the Great Plague

Although the Great Plague of 1665-1666 was one of the deadliest outbreaks in London’s history, it did not claim as many lives as the earlier Black Death of 1348-1349. The reduced mortality rate can be attributed, in part, to the more organised governmental response, which was more systematic than previous efforts. The Great Plague led to the final wave of plague in England, and no other significant outbreaks of the same magnitude occurred after 1665-1666.

The end of the outbreak was not directly caused by the Great Fire of London, which occurred in 1666, but the fire did play a crucial role in ending the plague. The fire, which destroyed much of the city, also cleared away the filth and debris that had contributed to the unsanitary conditions fostering the plague. As the city was rebuilt, London’s infrastructure improved, with the introduction of better waste disposal systems and more spacious housing that helped to reduce the likelihood of future outbreaks. The fire also reduced the rat population, further limiting the spread of the disease.

Conclusion

The Great Plague of 1665-1666 was a major event in British history, causing widespread fear and suffering. Although much of the response was based on outdated medical knowledge, the actions taken during this period were some of the first attempts at organised public health interventions. The failure to understand the true cause of the plague limited the effectiveness of these actions, but the outbreak did mark a significant turning point in how disease outbreaks would eventually be managed. The eventual rebuilding of London, after the destruction caused by the Great Fire, set the stage for improvements in sanitation and public health that would contribute to reducing the risk of similar outbreaks in the future.