Research Guides: HIST 258: Plagues, Diseases, and Epidemics in History (HC): Primary Sources

Plague Scene

A child and a monk fall victim to the plague as Pope Gregory I ( 590-604 CE) invokes God's aid.

From the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, an early 15th century prayerbook, fol. 71v (Wikimedia Commons, Public domain))

Primary Sources Collections

Primary source texts dealing with medicine from the medieval and early modern periods are available in several formats.

1) There are online collections available. Haverford has access to Early English Books Online (EEBO) (see below). Other primary source collections like Gallica from France's Bibliothèque national are open access on the Web.

2) Other sources are available in modern printed editions and translations. Like these titles available in the tri-colleges:

On Pestilence: A Renaissance Treatise on Plague Written by Girolamo Mercuriale in 1577 during an outbreak in Venice.

Sex, Aging & Death in a Medieval Medical Compendium. Edited by M. Teresa Tavormina [Includes translations of ten medieval medical texts including ones about aging, fertility, longevity, women's health, plague, medical instruments, and the planets]

3) Anthologies provide another way to identify relevant primary sources. Brief excerpts highlight a wide range of relevant texts. See below for some selected titles.

4)Facsimiles , translations and editions can be borrowed through E Z Borrow or interlibrary loan if they are not in Tripod.

Early English Books Online (EEBO)
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Contains digital images of virtually every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from 1473-1700. This collection contains about 100,000 of over 125,000 titles listed in Pollard & Redgrave's Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640) and Wing's Short-Title Catalogue (1641-1700) and their revised editions, as well as the Thomason Tracts (1640-1661) collection and the Early English Books Tract Supplement. Includes books, pamphlets, manuscripts and newspapers.
Medieval & Early Modern Sources Online
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A collection of digitized editions of texts concerning economic, political, legal, and ecclesiastical history, such as treasury accounts, chronicles, papal registers, etc. Most are from England, Ireland, and Scotland, although some are from Milan and the New World.

Source Anthologies

Collections of primary texts in anthologies can be good for browsing. They touch on many different issues, often excerpting brief passages from full works that you can find in the tricolleges or through interlibrary loan.

The Black Death by John Aberth
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Publication Date: 2005-03-02
This volume offers a wealth of documentary material focused on the initial outbreak of the plague that ravaged the world in the 14th century. Topics include treatment, religious responses, and representations in art.
Greek Medicine by James Longrigg (Editor)
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Publication Date: 1998-03-25
The Greeks were the first to use rational systems of medicine, based upon belief in natural causation, rather than magical and religious elements, which resulted in a new conception of disease, accounting for causes and symptoms of illness. "Greek Medicine" places ancient Greek medicine, from Homer to the Alexandrians, within its historical and intellectual context by presenting a selection of source material in translation.

Manchester Medieval Sources
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Brings together thematically related documents and texts. See in particular:
- The Black Death
- Catholic England:Faith, Religion and Observance before the Reformation

Medieval Medicine by Faith Wallis; Paul Edward Dutton
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Publication Date: 2010-05-12
Medical knowledge and practice changed profoundly during the medieval period. In this collection of over 100 primary sources, many translated for the first time, Faith Wallis reveals the dynamic world of medicine in the Middle Ages that has been largely unavailable to students and scholars. The reader includes 21 illustrations and a glossary of medical terms.
The Plague in Print by Rebecca Totaro
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Publication Date: 2010-12-17
Between the time of the Black Death and the Great Plague, epidemics struck the country at such regular intervals that it even produced a popular genre of plague writing. This book takes the reader into the world of plague-riddled England, documenting the development of distinct subgenres related to the plague and providing unprecedented access to original sources of early modern plague writing.

Rare Book Libraries

While some primary source books and other kinds of materials have been digitized, there are great numbers which exist only in print or manuscript, particularly when it comes to documents and records which are often in one unique copy. Visiting a rare book library will give you access to additional source material, as you can readily see from the resources on Friends Hospital here in Haverford's Special Collection Library.

Use the databases below to search for primary source material in special collection libraries.

ArchiveGrid
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Provides over four million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. Represents over 1,000 archival institutions, including libraries, museums and historical societies.
Consortium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine Special Collections Search
This group of 22 libraries and scholarly societies promotes research in the history of science. Their collections, many located in the Philadelphia area or East Coast cities, are available for you to use when making an on-site research trip. Use this federated search to see what kinds of materials in your subject area are available.
Worldcat.org
Worldcat represents the holdings of academic and public libraries on a global scale. There are over 300 million titles currently included. Libraries will often make a special effort to include their rare materials in WorldCat because those things are more difficult to find.

Image Sources

ARTstor
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A digital library that provides access to thousands of digital images derived from a variety of museum, library and archival collections. Images support a variety of disciplines including architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, and design. Coverage varies.

British Museum Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts
Searchable database of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts with descriptions of individual images.
MacKinney Collection of Medieval Medical Illustrations
Searchable database of medieval medical manuscript illustrations photographed by medieval historian MacKinney. Use the browse option and look at images by subject.
Index of Medieval Medical Images
This UCLA project aims to describe and index the content of all medieval manuscript images (up to the year 1500) with medical elements held in North American collections.
Wellcome Images
The Wellcome Library makes more than 40,000 images searchable online relating to medicine and social history. Note that the Advanced Search includes a year range option.

Haverford Special Collections

The dreadful visitation : in a short account of the progress and effects of the plague, the last time it spread in the city of London in the year 1665 extracted from the memoirs of a person who resided there, during the whole time of that infection 1763
Publisher: Germantown Pa. : Printed by Chr. Sower
The dreadful visitation : in a short account of the progress and effects of the Plague, the last time it spread in the City of London, in the year 1665
Philadelphia : printed by Joseph Crukshank, 1774
The dreadful visitation : in a short account of the progress and effects of the plague, the last time it spread in the city of London, in the year 1665
"extracted from the memoirs of a person who resided there during the whole time of that infection: with some thoughts on the advantage which would result to Christianity, if a spirit of impartiality and true charity was suffered to preside amongst the several religious denominations, &c."
Philadelphia : Henry Miller, 1767
A collection of very valuable and scarce pieces relating to the last plague in the year 1665.
London : J. Roberts, 1721
Bound with: Cheyne, George. A new theory of acute and slow continued fevers -- Hill, John. Cautions against the use of violent medicines in fevers -- Hill, John. The old man's guide to health and long life -- Cadogan, William. A dissertation on the gout -- Rush, Benjamin. Experiments and observations on the mineral waters of Philadelphia, Abington, and Bristol.
A brief discovery of the cause for which this land mourns, and is afflicted : With several remedies to be applyed in order to the removal of the present visitation
"Given forth the 2d of the 6th Month called August, 1665. being the last general fast day, appointed to pray for preventing the spreading and increase of the infection of the plague."
London, 1665
De oorsaeck van de pest en andere oordeelen uytgevonden : met een goede remedie
"De oorsaeck van de pest en andere oordeelen uytgevonden : met een goede remedie"
Amsterdam : gedruckt by Christoffel Cunradus, 1665