Comments on: The Plagues Of Old London

By: Rubehol

Rubehol — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 10:39:25 +0000

I found all this information very facinating and felt very sorry for those who died so hope this never happens to us again

By: Robin

Robin — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 10:01:23 +0000

Interesting blog . The Plague has always fascinated me for some reason. This vile sickness is rather similar. Locking ourselves away,panic in the markets, death counts that treble daily.There was a small faction of society that had the fortitude to survive and continue on. We must all draw from the fortitude shown by those ancient people and do our best to keep ourselves healthy,keep in close contact with our loved ones and our neighbors especially the elderly.These are dark days,but together,we can survive . EVERYONE…please stay healthy.with much love from Virginia US.

By: paul loften

paul loften — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 20:16:07 +0000

Pauline Taylor it may also interest you and also other readers of this blog to know that I once knew a Dr David Adler who was a senior consultant at the London Chest Hospital for many years. You may be familiar with the same hospital as the former home of the threatened mulberry tree. David after he retired as a doctor became chair of our local Labour Party branch during the Thatcher era and when I came down with a very bad chest infection advised me that the best course of treatment was to inhale steam even if I didn’t have an inhalent to add to the water. He dealt with cases including TB and pneumonia and was someone who I would have put my trust in with his many years of experience in dealing with chest infections. He would never take private patients and was dedicated to serving the NHS during his lifetime. If you google his name you won’t find him as he passed away in the 90’s

By: Pauline Taylor

Pauline Taylor — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 18:05:11 +0000

Paul Loften has reminded me, we had to inhale the steam from a mixture of hot water and Friars Balsam and very effective it was for coughs, colds, and other throat and chest infections. I wonder if anyone does that now? All it requires is a bowl and a thick towel worn over your head to keep the steam in. It has also occurred to me that the fact that many older people, including me, no long have their tonsils may be playing a part in the present pandemic as tonsils are the first in line in our immune system. I wish I still had mine to help to protect me but way back then having your tonsils out was almost a rite of passage.

By: Pamela Traves

Pamela Traves — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 16:21:04 +0000

History shows our Pains As Well.??

By: paul loften

paul loften — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 13:33:52 +0000

I should have also thanked Gillian Tindall for this story

By: paul loften

paul loften — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 13:20:11 +0000

A huge thank you for keeping us occupied with your very appropriate and interesting history of this terrible disease and how the people endured and overcame their suffering. I am sure all of us will not forget that it is not an easy task to maintain this daily blog under the present circumstances.
You mentioned a few intelligent and observant people. Perhaps in today’s world of mass communication of twitter and Facebook, we are drowned with far too many observations and can no longer apply the intelligence that is so badly needed. Our memories, especially the younger generation, are largely confined to what is available online without realizing that human knowledge far exceeds this.
Observations that were taken by doctors and scientists in the past that were very effective in healing the sick that suffered a multitude of illnesses can be very easily forgotten. For example, My mother recounted to me when they were tarring the road in Flower and Dean Street and the tar machine arrived, all the children that were suffering from whooping cough and other chest ailments in the building were taken by their parents to line up on the road by the side of the tar machine. It was a sight to be seen all the children warmly wrapped up deeply inhaling and exhaling the steam that was emitted from the machine. Of course, this was done on the doctor’s advice and was quite effective in helping the children in getting over their chest infections.

By: Pauline Taylor

Pauline Taylor — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 12:30:04 +0000

Thank you GA and Gillian. What a wise man William Boghurst was and, amazingly, his remedies, almost word for word, are exactly what a delightful African lady said to me last week. She grew up in Nigeria, where they have to live with unpleasant illnesses all the time, and they know how important it is to follow his advice. and especially the advice to wash your hands. I am following it.

By: Mathilde Grange

Mathilde Grange — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 09:50:49 +0000

Great article. Thank you. And magnificent etchings.

By: Walter Braun

Walter Braun — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 09:46:14 +0000

Brilliant article, fantastic pictures.
Will teach those who take the luxuries of fun society for granted that their age was the rare exception, not the imagined norm. A great re-setting is completely unavoidable, not just in economic terms, even more so in overcooked expectations, treating life as a pleasure park.
Perhaps the recently revived Stoicism will find new friends now, when the age of decadence begins to close down!?