To local press, railroad barons, and elected officials, such a possibility was inconceivable-or inconvenient. If the devastating disease was not contained, San Francisco would become the American epicenter of an outbreak that had already claimed ten million lives worldwide. Empowered by racist pseudoscience, officials rushed to quarantine Chinatown while doctors examined Wong’s tissue for telltale bacteria. His passing on March 6, 1900, would have been unremarkable if a city health officer hadn’t noticed a swollen black lymph node on his groin-a sign of bubonic plague. For Chinese immigrant Wong Chut King, surviving in San Francisco meant a life in the shadows. Includes maps, photos, and illustrationsĪ spine-chilling saga of virulent racism, human folly, and the ultimate triumph of scientific progress. The Great Plague brings this dark era to vivid life-through stories of loss and survival from those who grieved, those who fled, and those who hid to await their fate. Lord’s fascinating reconstruction of life during plague times presents the personal experiences of a wide range of individuals, from historical notables Samuel Pepys and Isaac Newton to common folk who tilled the land and ran the shops. In this intimate history of the extraordinary Black Plague pandemic that swept through the British Isles in 1665, Evelyn Lord focuses on the plague’s effects on smaller towns, where every death was a singular blow affecting the entire community.

We only index and link to content provided by other sites.įocusing on Britain’s peasants, shopkeepers, and other commoners, this history of the deadly Black Plague is a “local account of the countrywide calamity” (The Times). Disclaimer: This site does not store any files on its server.

The great plague pamela oldfield