The disappearance of plague: an alternative view.

Abstract

The author presents a critique of an article by Appleby concerning why the plague disappeared from Europe in the seventeenth century. In particular he suggests that in addition to the development of greater resistance or immunity among urban rat populations as suggested by Appleby various human actions such as quarantine measures taken by governments against infected ships played an important part in eliminating the plague as a major cause of human mortality. (ANNOTATION)