London, 1665
Who was the first victim of the plague epidemic, dying on Christmas Eve 1664?
Goodwoman Phillips
What do epidemiologists do?
They study the spread of diseases.
How did the plague doctor attempt to treat Goodwoman Phillips for plague?
He performed a procedure known as bloodletting, or bleeding. He cut her and collected some blood in a bowl.
What was the most famous plague pandemic of all time called? Where and when did it take place?
The Black Death took place in 1347 in Europe.
Buboes and plague tokens are indicators of which type of plague?
Bubonic plague.
Who was the shopkeeper who tracked the Bills of Mortality and developed a method of predicting plague epidemics?
John Graunt
How did John Graunt fit the description of an epidemiologist from the introduction?
He traced the spread of the plague by looking at data.
Why was bleeding or bloodletting a common practice at the time?
It was thought to balance the humors, or the fluids in the body, thus bringing good health.
When and where did scientists finally isolate the bacteria that caused plague?
They did so in Hong Kong, in 1894.
Which type of plague infects the patient's bloodstream, sometimes causing a death so quick that symptoms don't appear?
Septicemic plague.
Describe the system for tracking deaths in London.
Searcher, clerk, register, Bills of Mortality
How did John Graunt NOT fit the description of an epidemiologist from the introduction?
He didn't go door to door, talking to people and conducting interviews.
In the 1600s, what were some common treatments for the plague, or ways to prevent it from infecting someone?
gold coins in mouth, herbs and spices with vinegar or tar, smoking tobacco, amulets with toad poison, bleeding, sweating
Describe the competition between Alexander Yersin and Shibasaburo Kitasato.
They got different treatment from the government of Hong Kong, due to Yersin not being as famous as Kitasato. Kitasato tried to restrict Yersin's access to bodies. They also both claimed to have discovered the bacteria first.
Why were cities like London a perfect place for plague to spread quickly?
Humans live close to rats in cities.
What were the problems with the system for tracking deaths?
Searchers, poorly paid, would take bribes
Searchers weren't medical experts
Clerks only tracked official religion
Why is Graunt known as a pioneer in epidemiology?
He looked at data as a way of understanding how disease spreads. He was the first to notice that an increase in unexplained deaths could mean the start of a new disease outbreak.
What did most medical treatments for the plague in the 1600s have in common?
They were not based on evidence. They didn't work. Some were supposedly made with "exotic" rare materials, or with complicated recipes.
How might the trade of cotton have helped spread the plague in 1665?
The ships transporting cotton also carried rats and fleas. The fleas could have bitten the dock workers, and rats could have gotten off the ship.
What was one example of a strange cause of death in the Bills of Mortality?
Suddenly, teeth, etc.
Answers will vary.
How was John Graunt able to tell that there would be a plague outbreak in 1665?
He saw that deaths from all causes were increasing, which meant that some deaths due to plague were being misrecorded. From studying 60 years of historical data, Graunt knew that a plague epidemic was likely.
What did scientists notice in 2019 that was similar to what John Graunt noticed in 1664?
In Wuhan, China, they noticed an increase in pneumonia cases, just like John Graunt noticed an increase in unusual deaths.
Why did doctors believe in sweating as a treatment for plague?
They thought fevers should be treated with heat.
Name a place with a relatively recent plague outbreak.
Madagascar, India
How is plague transmitted? Who discovered this?
Paul-Louis Simond discovered that fleas jumping from dead rats to nearby humans transmitted the plague.