Books: "Mortality" Follow-up: What if you had to Face the Plague?
June 9, 2008
Reading John Kelly’s “The Great Mortality” last week reminded me of a thought experiment that I have to go through every time I think about the Black Death.
Given what we know about infectious disease and the transmission methods of plague (via flea bites; directly contagious in its pneumatic form, etc.), if you were plunked down in the 14th century right now, as you are, do you think that you could avoid coming down with the plague? Or at least have a better chance? Or would the filth surrounding you make you as easy a target as anyone else?
I have these dark visions of scrubbing the dirt floor of my hut until my body hurts, scrubbing my clothes, boiling my bed linens, avoiding piles of dead people, not letting anyone “bleed” me…but is this just me fooling myself that I’d be in any way immune?
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Interesting question. I have a feeling that we would probably be just as susceptible to the plague as the denizens of history. Although we have been immunised against many diseases and know quite a bit more about cleanliness, general medicine and health etc. I think an outbreak of plague is still one of the biggest fears in our society.
After all a flea can jump around 200 times their own body length and they’re small and fast, and a sneeze or a cough – how fast can one travel?
After just having spent 4 days battling parasites with the aid of chemicals AND plastic AND laundry machines, I say I’d bet on the plague.