Kristy Bowers

Plague remains the most recognized form of pestilence, but early modern medical practitioners increasingly sought to distinguish this “true pestilence” from other diseases which appeared pestilential in nature but were less lethal overall. This mattered because plague’s high mortality and quick spread necessitated strict public health measures which were disruptive to communities, while less lethal diseases did not. This study focuses on sixteenth and seventeenth century Spain, where physicians and surgeons sought to distinguish new pestilential diseases, including typhus and diphtheria, from plague. They published the earliest medical texts devoted to identifying and treating each of these diseases, while also working during local outbreaks to treat them. The ongoing effort to disentangle pestilential diseases led to numerous debates and publications as authorities sought to better understand and respond to epidemics.