History Scotland Magazine: Review - The Black Death and the history of plagues 1345-1730

THE BLACK DEATH and the history of plagues 1345-1730

William Naphy and Andrew Spicer

Tempus, Stroud, 2000208pp, 100 illustrations Hardback 25.00 Paperback 12.99

Unusually this is a history book whose title does tell you what the book is about. Each of the eight chapters cover an aspect of the history of plagues in the centuries mentioned. The first chapter gives the background and history of epidemics before the beginning of the plague that has become known as the Black Death. Not only is the biblical basis of peoples perception of plague given, but there is also a discussion of the contrasting Moslem view of the reasons for plague. The comparison with the plague of Justinian in 541 is solidly made and the highlighting of subsequent plagues that hit the Moslem world places this second great pandemic very firmly in context. Chapter Two investigates the period of the Black Death and the impact of the disease on Western society. What is slightly disconcerting in this chapter is the rather anachronistic discussion of the works of the eighteenth century writer Malthus and his theory of the Malthusian check on population that plague in general, and the Black Death in particular, could be considered to be. This discussion seemed rather out of place and would have been better in a general chapter on historiography or missed out completely.

Regulating the plague is the next topic covered and the authors argue that the basis of all regulation was developed in Italy and then adopted by many of the countries within Europe as they were affected by the plague. The next two chapter deals with the problems associated with the great plague in London in the seventeenth century that the authors feel was the finale of the great epidemics, only to be followed in 1720 by one in Marseilles. The last two chapters of this short book investigate the number of other diseases that became thought of as plagues and what their lasting impact was on the West.

This was one of the most enjoyable history books that I had read in a long time. It was that rare commodity that eludes most historians a good read! It was difficult to put down because you wanted to find out what happened next, even though you already knew. The style of the authors was at times eccentric and even out of context in places yet this did not stop the book from being informative, enthusiastic and very easy to read. It is beautifully illustrated throughout with both colour and black and white illustrations. The bibliography is comprehensive and thought provoking enough to stimulate further research and interest. The index is also well constructed and easy to use. This is a very rewarding book not just for the academic audience or the student of medical history but also for the general reader. It is well worth its price tag of 25 for the hardback.

Lesley Diack
University of Aberdeen