Eyam in 1665. Mae, the apothecary’s daughter, reads her pious father’s books at night. Isabel, the village midwife, has secrets, too; some think her skill with herbs comes close to witchcraft. When Mae makes a horrifying discovery she turns to Isabel, putting both their lives in danger. And a new threat is creeping towards them […]
Health and Hellfire: Personalising the Plague in 17th Century London
Deborah Swift explores how the plague was understood and treated in 17th century London. Today, people have widely variable responses to disease and its cure. I don’t think I’m alone in having friends who show hypochondriac tendencies, who use ‘alternative’ or even quack medicines, or who are convinced that a random event, real or supernatural, has […]