“In These Perilous Times”: Plague and Plague Policies in Early Modern Denmark

"In these perilous times": plague and plague policies in early modern Denmark.

Plague has long since disappeared from Denmark. Why it did so remains a puzzle and is one of the themes of this article. More recently, and almost as puzzling, plague has also disappeared from Danish historiography. In the works of eighteenth-century historians the Black Death was described in considerable, if often imaginative, detail and the recurring plague outbreaks were mentioned regularly...

Shutt up: bubonic plague and quarantine in early modern England.

The outbreak of bubonic plague that struck London and Westminster in 1636 provoked the usual frenzied response to epidemics, including popular flight and government-mandated quarantine. The government asserted that plague control measures were acts of public health for the benefit of all. However, contrary to this government narrative of disease prevention there was a popular account that portr...

A Modern Plague

Noise Pollution: A Modern Plague

Noise is defined as unwanted sound. Environmental noise consists of all the unwanted sounds in our communities except that which originates in the workplace. Environmental noise pollution, a form of air pollution, is a threat to health and well-being. It is more severe and widespread than ever before, and it will continue to increase in magnitude and severity because of population growth, urban...

Lessons Learned from Historic Plague Epidemics: The Relevance of an Ancient Disease in Modern Times

Plague has been without doubt one of the most important and devastating epidemic diseases of mankind. During the past decade, this disease has received much attention because of its potential use as an agent of biowarfare and bioterrorism. However, while it is easy to forget its importance in the 21st century and view the disease only as a historic curiosity, relegating it to the sidelines of i...