Main description:

As a medical, economic, spiritual and demographic crisis, plague affected practically every aspect of an early modern community whether on a local, regional or national scale. Its study therefore affords opportunities for the reassessment of many aspects of the pre-modern world.

This book examines the incidence and effects of plague in an early modern Scottish community by analysing civic, medical and social responses to epidemics in the north-east port of Aberdeen, focusing on the period 1500-1650. While Aberdeen's experience of plague was in many ways similar to that of other towns throughout Europe, certain idiosyncrasies in the city make it a particularly interesting case study, which challenges several assumptions about early modern mentalities.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Setting the scene: Aberdeen and the north-east, Chapter 2 Responses to plague in Scotland, Chapter 3 Plague in Aberdeen before 1550, Chapter 4 Plague in Aberdeen after 1550, Chapter 5 Aberdeen's final plague: the outbreak of 1647-48, Chapter 6 Conclusion