A History of Epidemics in Britain, Volume 2 (of 2) / From the Extinction of Plague to the Present Time

A scholarly narrative continues the history of epidemic disease in Britain from the disappearance of plague through subsequent centuries to the author’s present, tracing the changing profiles of typhus and other continued fevers, smallpox (and the controversies of inoculation and vaccination), measles, whooping-cough, scarlatina, diphtheria, dysentery, cholera and influenza. The account blends clinical description, statistical evidence and official reports to chart shifts in age-, class- and place-specific incidence and to distinguish evolving disease types. Emphasis is placed on the interaction of epidemics with social, economic and sanitary conditions, includes a dedicated chapter on Ireland, and closes with tentative reflections on influenza and epidemic agues.