During the 17th century, as the number of plague victims rose in specific areas of London, affluent families frequently chose to temporarily leave the city, according to historical records.
Merchants also adjusted their routes, and some avoided certain neighborhoods as infection rates climbed. This demonstrates that even then, people weren’t passively accepting their fate during a public health crisis.
New research suggests that Londoners actively utilized available information to improve their chances of survival during repeated outbreaks of the plague. The weekly publication of mortality figures, known as the “Bill of Mortality,” served as an early indicator of public health trends and a way to gauge the intensity of the infection – long before the concept of tracking infection rates existed.
In a city rife with rumors and fear, the printed death tolls were among the few reliable sources of information. This highlights the importance of accurate data in managing public perception and response during epidemics.
An estimated 150,000 people – roughly a quarter of the population – lost their lives during the recurrent plague outbreaks in 17th-century London. The scale of the devastation underscores the profound impact of infectious diseases on historical populations.
