Consequences of the plague in the 18th century Europe. Are there any science-based prerequisites for history repeating itself?

Abstract

The relevance of the subject matter is conditioned by the fact that the plague pandemic is recognised as a key in the structure of lethality and severity of epidemiological consequences caused in Europe, and still remains a threatening disease that develops, mutates, and spreads rapidly. In this regard, the purpose of the study is to analyse the scale of the consequences caused by the disease, establish the main causes of the emergence and spread of the plague, identify ways to combat the disease and evaluate their effectiveness, and substantiate the factors that did not allow overcoming the pandemic in the Middle Ages. The basis of the methodological approach is a qualitative combination of the method of theoretical analysis and diagnostic approaches, which helped achieve the goals and fulfil the tasks set. The main results that were achieved in the process of writing this paper can be considered a clear identification of the causes of the plague, tracking its spread across Europe and identifying the main favourable factors for the development of the disease, and comparison of the pandemic of the Middle Ages with the current situation by assessing the factors that can actually affect the epidemiological situation. The study results and the formulated conclusions are of practical significance for researchers in the field of history and medicine, authors who investigate the patterns of occurrence and development of various diseases and prepare forecasts about the severity of the situation, health workers, and historians who study the aetiology, spread, and consequences of the plague in Europe in the period from the 14th to the 18th century