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The Middle Age of European history has no naturally fixed beginning or ending. The period of Antiquity may be taken as concluded by the fourth Christian century, or by the fifth or by the sixth; the Modern period may be made to commence in the fourteenth, or in the fifteenth or in the sixteenth. The historian Hallam includes a thousand years in the medieval period, from the invasion of France by Clovis to the invasion of Italy by Charles VIII. in 1494. We begin, he says, in darkness and calamity, and we break off as the morning breathes upon us and the twilight reddens into the lustre of day. To the epidemiologist the medieval period is rounded more definitely. At the one end comes the great plague in the reign of Justinian, and at the other end the Black Death. Those are the two greatest pestilences in recorded history; each has no parallel except in the other. They were in the march of events, and should not be fixed upon as doing more than their share in shaping the course of history. But no single thing stands out more clearly as the stroke of fate in bringing the ancient civilization to an end than the vast depopulation and solitude made by the plague which came with the corn-ships from Egypt to Byzantium in the year 543; and nothing marks so definitely the emergence of Europe from the middle period of stagnation as the other depopulation and social upheaval made by the plague which came in the overland track of Genoese and Venetian traders from China in the year 1347. While many other influences were in the air to determine the oncoming and the offgoing of the middle darkness, those two world-wide pestilences were singular in their respective effects: of the one, we may say that it turned the key of the medieval prison-house; and of the other, that it unlocked the door after eight hundred years. The Black Death and its after-effects will occupy a large part of this work, so that what has just been said of it will not stand as a bare assertion. But the plague in the reign of Justinian hardly touches British history, and must be left with a brief reference. Gibbon was not insensible of the part that it played in the great drama of his history. “There was,” he says, “a visible decrease of the human species, which has never been repaired in some of the fairest countries of the globe.” After vainly trying to construe the arithmetic of Procopius, who was a witness of the calamity at Byzantium, he agrees to strike off one or more ciphers, and adopts as an estimate “not wholly inadmissible,” a mortality of one hundred millions. The effects of that depopulation, in part due to war, are not followed in the history. So far as Gibbon’s method could go, the plague came for him into the same group of phenomena as comets and earthquakes; it was part of the stage scenery amidst which the drama of emperors, pontiffs, generals, eunuchs, Theodoras, and adventurers proceeded. Even of the comets and earthquakes, he remarks that they were subject to physical laws; and it was from no want of scientific spirit that he omitted to show how a plague of such magnitude had a place in the physical order, and not less in the moral order.
Charles Creighton's groundbreaking work, 'A History of Epidemics in Britain (Vol. 1&2)', serves as a comprehensive and meticulously researched account of the various epidemics that have plagued Britain throughout history. This two-volume set delves into the social, political, and medical implications of these epidemics, providing a vivid picture of the impact they had on the population. Creighton's writing style is both scholarly and engaging, making this book accessible to a wide audience interested in the history of medicine and public health. By placing each epidemic within its historical context, Creighton offers valuable insights into the evolution of public health practices in Britain. His thorough research and detailed analysis make this book an invaluable resource for scholars and students alike. Charles Creighton's expertise in the field of medical history, combined with his passion for uncovering the untold stories of epidemics, shines through in 'A History of Epidemics in Britain'. This book is highly recommended for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the impact of infectious diseases on society.
Includes provisional roll of service of the university in the European war, 1914-June 30, 1915 (2 p. l., 84 p.) appended to v. 2.
This well researched book provides an interesting study of the development of fever hospitals and fever nursing, mainly in nineteenth and twentieth century Britain. It provides new insights into the development of nursing roles and nurse education and looks at the lives of key figures at that time. The text examines how this once important branch of the nursing profession emerged in the nineteenth century, only to be discarded in the second half of the following century. Drawing on the work of Goffman and Foucault, the study shows how, aided by medical advances, fever nurses transformed their custodial duties into a therapeutic role and how training schemes were implemented to improve the recruitment and retention of nurses. As standards of living improved and patient’s chances of recovery increased, many fever hospitals became redundant and fever nurses were no longer required. The wisdom of creating fever hospitals and then disbanding them is questioned in the light of changing disease patterns, international travel and the threat posed by biological warfare.