The Coverlet Corner
By Lauren Churilla
The Coverlet CornerDec 11, 2020
Public Health and Masking in The Great Plague of London
The following podcast explores development of public health and masking efforts in the context of late 17th-century plague epidemics. Thomas Thompson examines the Great Plague of London (1665-1666) with close attention paid to the role of plague doctors and their masks and the societal reactions to public health measures taken to curb the spread of the disease. The podcast corrects erroneous assumptions that the now-famous plague doctor mask came about during the Black Death of the late 1300s. Moreover, the podcast provides the listener with a deeper consideration of the endemic nature of the plague and how 17th-century theories of disease informed the development of masking and other public health measures taken in response to the plague. In other words, the listener would get a sense of how the plague doctor's mask with its large beak stuffed with aromatic herbs reflected a 17th-century understanding of the communicability of disease.
This project is funded and produced through a generous grant with PA Sharp and Pennsylvania Humanities.
References
Brown, T. (1702). Amusements Serious and Comical, Calculated for the Meridian of London. The 2d. edition with large improvements. London, p. 22.
Harding, V. (2015). “1665: London’s Last Great Plague.” [Lecture] Gresham College. https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/1665-londons-last-great-plague#:~:text=350%20years%20ago%2C%20London%20experienced,many%20disputed%20or%20puzzling%20features.
Hume, R. D. (2006). The Economics of Culture in London, 1660-1740. Huntington Library Quarterly, 69(4), 487-533.
Moote, A. L., & Moote, D. C. (2004). The Great Plague: The Story of London’s Most Deadly Year. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Munkhoff, R. (1999). Searchers of the Dead: Authority, Marginality, and the Interpretation of Plague in England, 1674-1665. Gender & History, 11(1), 1-29.
Newman, S. P. (2022). Freedom Seekers: Escaping Slavery in Restoration London. London: University of London Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv293p4c5.9#metadata_info_tab_contents
Porter, S. (2001). “Disease and the City 17th Century: Plague” [Lecture] Gresham College. https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/17th-century-plague
Tasswell, W. (1977). The Plague and The Fire. History Today, 27(12), 812. https://web.s.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=35dd7ba7-bf11-4b5b-904b-7e6282708d59%40redis
The Haunted Rock By W.W. Fenn
Every Christmas we look forward to the spooky and fascinating tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his encounters with the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. However, Dicken’s spooky tale wasn’t the first ghost story to be read around a Christmas fire. fictional character to see ghosts around Christmas time. In fact, the tradition of holiday ghost stories dates back much further than the Victorians. During the darkest times of the year, people believed the distance between the living and the dead closed. Our modern Christmas emerged in the Victorian Western world. With the newfound trappings of a commercialized Christmas that involved the sending of cards, gifts, and merrymaking, the holiday ghost story emerged in the press with gusto. Ghost stories populated periodicals and readers had an insatiable appetite for the holiday season spooky tales. It is estimated that between 50 and 70 percent of these stories were published by women. This holiday season, the McCarl Coverlet Gallery continues the Christmas ghost story tradition by releasing four thrilling narrated tales via podcast this holiday season. We hope you enjoy carrying on this spooky tradition with your own families this year.
The Ghost's Summons by Ada Buisson
Every Christmas we look forward to the spooky and fascinating tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his encounters with the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. However, Dicken’s spooky tale wasn’t the first ghost story to be read around a Christmas fire. fictional character to see ghosts around Christmas time. In fact, the tradition of holiday ghost stories dates back much further than the Victorians. During the darkest times of the year, people believed the distance between the living and the dead closed. Our modern Christmas emerged in the Victorian Western world. With the newfound trappings of a commercialized Christmas that involved the sending of cards, gifts, and merrymaking, the holiday ghost story emerged in the press with gusto. Ghost stories populated periodicals and readers had an insatiable appetite for the holiday season spooky tales. It is estimated that between 50 and 70 percent of these stories were published by women. This holiday season, the McCarl Coverlet Gallery continues the Christmas ghost story tradition by releasing four thrilling narrated tales via podcast this holiday season. We hope you enjoy carrying on this spooky tradition with your own families this year.