A book in progress, edited by Gregry Livingston

Once in a Lifetime

A First-Hand History of Pandemics

Eyewitness writing about epidemics from ancient Athens to 1918, newly translated, with notes and classroom material.

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“[The Peloponnesians] had been in Attica only a few days when the sickness first broke out among the Athenians. It was said to have struck many places before, around Lemnos and elsewhere. But no one could remember a plague so great, or so many people dying, anywhere.”
καὶ ὄντων αὐτῶν οὐ πολλάς πω ἡμέρας ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ ἡ νόσος πρῶτον ἤρξατο γενέσθαι τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις, λεγόμενον μὲν καὶ πρότερον πολλαχόσε ἐγκατασκῆψαι καὶ περὶ Λῆμνον καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις χωρίοις, οὐ μέντοι τοσοῦτός γε λοιμὸς οὐδὲ φθορὰ οὕτως ἀνθρώπων οὐδαμοῦ ἐμνημονεύετο γενέσθαι.

Thucydides, Athens, 430–429 BCE.

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Medical7
Chronicle5
History5
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Annals2
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Literature2
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Diary1
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41 sources

Part 1

History
The Plague at Athens, and Pericles Answers the Athenians
Thucydides, after 430 BCE, Athens
GreekChecked
Plague of Athens (430–426 BCE)Doctors and medical ideasSpeeches and edicts
Read
Memoir
The Plague at My Country House, and a Life for a Life
Aelius Aristides, early 170s CE, Smyrna (modern İzmir) and Aristides' country house outside the city
GreekChecked
Antonine Plague (from 165)Doctors and medical ideasGreek and Roman gods
Read
Medical
Preface to the Treatise on Cold Damage
Zhang Zhongjing, c. 200–206, Han China
Classical ChineseChecked
Epidemics of the late Han (c. 196–217)Doctors and medical ideasFamily and loss
Read
Essay
Discourse on Epidemic Qi, and a Brother's Letter
Cao Zhi, 217 or soon after, Han China
Classical ChineseChecked
Epidemics of the late Han (c. 196–217)Doctors and medical ideasRich and poor
Read
Sermon
The Plague as a Test: A Bishop's Sermon at Carthage
Cyprian, c. 252–253, Carthage, Roman North Africa (modern Tunisia)
LatinChecked
Plague of Cyprian (c. 249–270)Christianity
Read
History
The Plague at Constantinople
Procopius, c. 550, Constantinople (Byzantium)
GreekChecked
Plague of Justinian (from 541)Plague (Yersinia pestis)Doctors and medical ideas
Read

Part 2

Annals
The Great Epidemic of 735–737
Shoku Nihongi, 735–737 (entries); compiled by 797, Heijō-kyō (Nara), Japan
Classical ChineseChecked
Japanese smallpox epidemic (735–737)SmallpoxBuddhism
Read
Government order
How to Care for the Sick in the Epidemic of 737
Council of State, 737, Heijō-kyō (Nara), Japan
Classical ChineseChecked
Japanese smallpox epidemic (735–737)SmallpoxDoctors and medical ideas
Read
Chronicle
The Plague in the Bishop of Rochester’s Household
William Dene, soon after the events of 1348–1349, Rochester, Kent, England
LatinChecked
Black Death (1347–1351)ChristianityWork and wages
Read
Chronicle
The Plague Comes to Messina and Catania
Anonymous of Catania, after April 1348, Messina and Catania, Sicily
LatinChecked
Black Death (1347–1351)Plague (Yersinia pestis)Christianity
Read
Chronicle
The Great Mortality in Paris, 1348–1349
Jean de Venette, about 1360, Paris
LatinEarly version
Black Death (1347–1351)ChristianityDeath and burial
Read
Chronicle
I Buried My Five Children with My Own Hands
Agnolo di Tura, 1348 or soon after, Siena
ItalianEarly version
Black Death (1347–1351)Death and burialFamily and loss
Read
Letter
O Happy People of the Future
Petrarch, 1349, Parma
LatinEarly version
Black Death (1347–1351)ChristianityDeath and burial
Read
Poem
To Himself, in the Plague Year
Petrarch, 1348, Italy
LatinEarly version
Black Death (1347–1351)ChristianityDeath and burial
Read
Note
Laura, in the Margins of His Virgil
Petrarch, 1348 or soon after, Parma
LatinEarly version
Black Death (1347–1351)ChristianityDeath and burial
Read
Literature
The Pestilence Comes to Florence, 1348
Boccaccio, about 1349–1353, Florence
ItalianEarly version
Black Death (1347–1351)Plague (Yersinia pestis)Death and burial
Read
Chronicle
After the Mortality: Florence, 1348
Matteo Villani, begun soon after 1348, Florence
ItalianEarly version
Black Death (1347–1351)Plague (Yersinia pestis)Doctors and medical ideas
Read
Essay
The Plague Goes Town by Town
Ibn al-Wardi, 1348 (the essay); the chronicle entries 1346–1349, Aleppo
ArabicEarly version
Black Death (1347–1351)Plague (Yersinia pestis)Death and burial
Read
Memoir
Muslims, Jews, and Christians Pray Together
Ibn Battuta, 1348–1349, Damascus
ArabicEarly version
Black Death (1347–1351)Plague (Yersinia pestis)Death and burial
Read
History
As If the Whole World Had Changed
Ibn Khaldun, 1377, revised later, Tunis
ArabicEarly version
Black Death (1347–1351)Plague (Yersinia pestis)Doctors and medical ideas
Read

Part 3

History
The Smallpox in Mexico, 1520
Sahagún, compiled from the 1550s to the 1570s, Mexico-Tenochtitlan
SpanishEarly version
Epidemics in the Americas after 1492SmallpoxFirst contact in the Americas
Read
Annals
The Pestilence at Iximche
Xahil family annals, events of the early 1520s (Brinton dates the king’s death to 1521); written down later in the sixteenth century, Iximche
KaqchikelEarly version
Epidemics in the Americas after 1492Death and burialFamily and loss
Read
Medical
The Origin of Epidemics
Wu Youxing, 1642, Suzhou
Classical ChineseEarly version
EpidemicsDoctors and medical ideas
Read
Diary
A London Diary of the Plague Year, 1665
Samuel Pepys, June 7–December 31, 1665, London
EnglishEarly version
Great Plague of London (1665–1666)Plague (Yersinia pestis)Death and burial
Read

Part 4

Letter
Engrafting against Smallpox
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, April 1, 1717 (Old Style); published 1763, Adrianople
EnglishEarly version
SmallpoxInoculation and vaccinationPlague (Yersinia pestis)
Read
Pamphlet
What the Africans of Boston Knew about Inoculation
Cotton Mather and Zabdiel Boylston, 1721, Boston
EnglishEarly version
SmallpoxInoculation and vaccinationDoctors and medical ideas
Read
Sermon
A Sermon against Inoculation
Edmund Massey, preached July 8, 1722, London
EnglishEarly version
SmallpoxInoculation and vaccinationChristianity
Read
Medical
Planting Smallpox
Wu Qian, 1742, Beijing
Classical ChineseEarly version
SmallpoxInoculation and vaccinationDoctors and medical ideas
Read
Medical
Instructions for Vaccine Inoculation
Edward Jenner, 1801, London
EnglishEarly version
SmallpoxInoculation and vaccinationDoctors and medical ideas
Read

Part 5

Medical
The Yellow Fever in Philadelphia, 1793
Benjamin Rush, 1794, Philadelphia
EnglishEarly version
Philadelphia yellow fever (1793)Yellow feverDoctors and medical ideas
Read
Memoir
Remembering the Yellow Fever of 1793
Samuel Breck, written 1830 or later (events of 1793); published 1877, Philadelphia
EnglishEarly version
Philadelphia yellow fever (1793)Yellow feverDeath and burial
Read
History
Philadelphia in Terror, 1793
Mathew Carey, November 1793, during the last weeks of the epidemic, Philadelphia
EnglishEarly version
Philadelphia yellow fever (1793)Yellow feverRich and poor
Read
Pamphlet
We Have Seen More Humanity: An Answer to Carey
Absalom Jones and Richard Allen, January 1794, Philadelphia
EnglishEarly version
Philadelphia yellow fever (1793)Yellow feverRelief and public measures
Read
Letter
An Island Surrounded by Quarantines
Pushkin, October–November 1830, Boldino
RussianEarly version
Cholera pandemic (1830s)CholeraFamily and loss
Read
Medical
The Pump in Broad Street, 1854
John Snow, 1855, London
EnglishEarly version
CholeraDoctors and medical ideas
Read
Government report
The Plague Act and the House Searches, Bombay 1897
Government of India (R. Nathan, compiler), 1898, Bombay
EnglishEarly version
Plague (Yersinia pestis)Rulers and courtsDoctors and medical ideas
Read

Part 6

Letter
Why Single Out One? A Scientist on Typhoid Mary
W. P. Mason, July 1909, North Brother Island, New York
EnglishEarly version
Doctors and medical ideasRulers and courts
Read
Pamphlet
The Government Explains the Flu, 1918
U.S. Public Health Service, September 28, 1918, Washington
EnglishEarly version
Influenza pandemic (1918–1920)InfluenzaRulers and courts
Read
Medical
A Wrong Cure for the Spanish Influenza
Louis Dechmann, 1 February 1919, Seattle
EnglishEarly version
Influenza pandemic (1918–1920)InfluenzaDoctors and medical ideas
Read
Memoir
Camp Devens, 1918
Victor C. Vaughan, published 1926, Camp Devens
EnglishEarly version
Influenza pandemic (1918–1920)InfluenzaDoctors and medical ideas
Read
Literature
Mask
Kikuchi Kan, July 1920, Tokyo
JapaneseEarly version
Influenza pandemic (1918–1920)Influenza
Read

WriterLanguageStatusRead

Part 1

ὄντωνThe Plague at Athens, and Pericles Answers the Atheniansκαὶ ὄντων αὐτῶν οὐ πολλάς πω ἡμέρας ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ ἡ νόσος πρῶτον…Thucydides · after 430 BCE · Greek

Thucydides

after 430 BCE

Greek

Checked

Read: The Plague at Athens, and Pericles Answers the Athenians

τοίνυνThe Plague at My Country House, and a Life for a Lifeὡς τοίνυν ἐγενόμεθα ἐν τῇ Σμύρνῃ, φαίνεταί μοι ἐν τοιῷδέ τινι σχήματι.Aelius Aristides · early 170s CE · Greek

Aelius Aristides

early 170s CE

Greek

Checked

Read: The Plague at My Country House, and a Life for a Life

論曰Preface to the Treatise on Cold Damage論曰余每覽越人入虢之診望齊侯之色未嘗不慨然歎其才秀也…Zhang Zhongjing · c. 200–206 · Classical Chinese

Zhang Zhongjing

c. 200–206

Classical Chinese

Checked

Read: Preface to the Treatise on Cold Damage

建安Discourse on Epidemic Qi, and a Brother's Letter建安二十二年癘氣流行…Cao Zhi · 217 or soon after · Classical Chinese

Cao Zhi

217 or soon after

Classical Chinese

Checked

Read: Discourse on Epidemic Qi, and a Brother's Letter

enimThe Plague as a Test: A Bishop's Sermon at CarthageAt enim quosdam mouet quod aequaliter cum gentilibus nostros morbi…Cyprian · c. 252–253 · Latin

Cyprian

c. 252–253

Latin

Checked

Read: The Plague as a Test: A Bishop's Sermon at Carthage

τοὺςThe Plague at ConstantinopleὙπὸ δὲ τοὺς χρόνους τούτους λοιμὸς γέγονεν, ἐξ οὗ δὴ ἅπαντα ὀλίγου…Procopius · c. 550 · Greek

Procopius

c. 550

Greek

Checked

Read: The Plague at Constantinople

Part 2

乙未The Great Epidemic of 735–737○乙未。勅曰。如聞。此日、太宰府疫死者多。思欲救療疫気、以済民命…Shoku Nihongi · 735–737 (entries); compiled by 797 · Classical Chinese

Shoku Nihongi

735–737 (entries); compiled by 797

Classical Chinese

Checked

Read: The Great Epidemic of 735–737

太政How to Care for the Sick in the Epidemic of 737太政官符。東海東山北陸山陰山陽南海等道諸國司。合臥疫之日治身及禁…Council of State · 737 · Classical Chinese

Council of State

737

Classical Chinese

Checked

Read: How to Care for the Sick in the Epidemic of 737

AnnoThe Plague in the Bishop of Rochester’s HouseholdAnno xxiii. regni Regis Edwardi III. obiit Johannes de Stratford…William Dene · soon after the events of 1348–1349 · Latin

William Dene

soon after the events of 1348–1349

Latin

Checked

Read: The Plague in the Bishop of Rochester’s Household

SiculisThe Plague Comes to Messina and CataniaSiculis vero de hujusmodi pace nimium congaudentibus, & sub pace…Anonymous of Catania · after April 1348 · Latin

Anonymous of Catania

after April 1348

Latin

Checked

Read: The Plague Comes to Messina and Catania

AnnoThe Great Mortality in Paris, 1348–1349Anno Domini mcccxlviii percussa est gens Franciae et quasi totius…Jean de Venette · about 1360 · Latin

Jean de Venette

about 1360

Latin

Early version

Read: The Great Mortality in Paris, 1348–1349

questoI Buried My Five Children with My Own HandsE in questo tempo si cominciò in Siena la grande Mortalità, la…Agnolo di Tura · 1348 or soon after · Italian

Agnolo di Tura

1348 or soon after

Italian

Early version

Read: I Buried My Five Children with My Own Hands

frater,O Happy People of the FutureMi frater, mi frater, mi frater: novum epistolae principium: imo…Petrarch · 1349 · Latin

Petrarch

1349

Latin

Early version

Read: O Happy People of the Future

mihiTo Himself, in the Plague YearHeu mihi quid patior? qua me violenta retorquent Fata retro? Video…Petrarch · 1348 · Latin

Petrarch

1348

Latin

Early version

Read: To Himself, in the Plague Year

Laurea,Laura, in the Margins of His VirgilLaurea, propriis uirtutibus illustris et meis longum celebrata…Petrarch · 1348 or soon after · Latin

Petrarch

1348 or soon after

Latin

Early version

Read: Laura, in the Margins of His Virgil

DicoThe Pestilence Comes to Florence, 1348Dico adunque che già erano gli anni della fruttifera Incarnazione del…Boccaccio · about 1349–1353 · Italian

Boccaccio

about 1349–1353

Italian

Early version

Read: The Pestilence Comes to Florence, 1348

quelloAfter the Mortality: Florence, 1348Ma per quello che trovar si possa per le scritture, dal generale…Matteo Villani · begun soon after 1348 · Italian

Matteo Villani

begun soon after 1348

Italian

Early version

Read: After the Mortality: Florence, 1348

وفيها:The Plague Goes Town by Townوفيها: وقع الوباء ببلاد أزبك وخلت قرى ومدن من الناس، ثم اتصل الوباء…Ibn al-Wardi · 1348 (the essay); the chronicle entries 1346–1349 · Arabic

Ibn al-Wardi

1348 (the essay); the chronicle entries 1346–1349

Arabic

Early version

Read: The Plague Goes Town by Town

شاهدتMuslims, Jews, and Christians Pray Togetherشاهدت أيام الطاعون الأعظم بدمشق في أواخر شهر ربيع الثاني سنة تسع…Ibn Battuta · 1348–1349 · Arabic

Ibn Battuta

1348–1349

Arabic

Early version

Read: Muslims, Jews, and Christians Pray Together

ولنذكرAs If the Whole World Had Changedولنذكر هنا فائدة نختم كلامنا في هذا الفصل بها وهي أن التاريخ إنما هو…Ibn Khaldun · 1377, revised later · Arabic

Ibn Khaldun

1377, revised later

Arabic

Early version

Read: As If the Whole World Had Changed

Part 3

CuandoThe Smallpox in Mexico, 1520Cuando los Españoles salieron de México, y fueron á Tlaxcalla era el…Sahagún · compiled from the 1550s to the 1570s · Spanish

Sahagún

compiled from the 1550s to the 1570s

Spanish

Early version

Read: The Smallpox in Mexico, 1520

ChupamThe Pestilence at Iximche127. Chupam <J-a voo huna, vae ok ixtiquer yauabil, yxnu^-ahol, nabey…Xahil family annals · events of the early 1520s (Brinton dates the king’s death to 1521); written down later in the sixteenth century · Kaqchikel

Xahil family annals

events of the early 1520s (Brinton dates the king’s death to 1521); written down later in the sixteenth century

Kaqchikel

Early version

Read: The Pestilence at Iximche

病疫The Origin of Epidemics病疫之由昔以為非其時有其氣春應温而反大寒夏應熱而反大涼秋應涼而反…Wu Youxing · 1642 · Classical Chinese

Wu Youxing

1642

Classical Chinese

Early version

Read: The Origin of Epidemics

ThisA London Diary of the Plague Year, 1665This day, much against my will, I did in Drury Lane see two or three…Samuel Pepys · June 7–December 31, 1665 · English

Samuel Pepys

June 7–December 31, 1665

English

Early version

Read: A London Diary of the Plague Year, 1665

Part 4

opinionEngrafting against SmallpoxIN my opinion, dear S. I ought rather to quarrel with you, for not…Lady Mary Wortley Montagu · April 1, 1717 (Old Style); published 1763 · English

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

April 1, 1717 (Old Style); published 1763

English

Early version

Read: Engrafting against Smallpox

PublickWhat the Africans of Boston Knew about InoculationTHE Publick having been lately entertained with a very dark and…Cotton Mather and Zabdiel Boylston · 1721 · English

Cotton Mather and Zabdiel Boylston

1721

English

Early version

Read: What the Africans of Boston Knew about Inoculation

SilenceA Sermon against InoculationThe Silence of Scripture hath given Interpreters Occasion of guessing…Edmund Massey · preached July 8, 1722 · English

Edmund Massey

preached July 8, 1722

English

Early version

Read: A Sermon against Inoculation

夫痘Planting Smallpox夫痘胎毒也伏於有形之始因感而𤼵為生人所不能免然其𤼵也或染時氣或感…Wu Qian · 1742 · Classical Chinese

Wu Qian

1742

Classical Chinese

Early version

Read: Planting Smallpox

vaccineInstructions for Vaccine InoculationLet the vaccine fluid be taken, for the purpose of Inoculation, from…Edward Jenner · 1801 · English

Edward Jenner

1801

English

Early version

Read: Instructions for Vaccine Inoculation

Part 5

ThusThe Yellow Fever in Philadelphia, 1793Thus far have I delivered the history of the yellow fever as it…Benjamin Rush · 1794 · English

Benjamin Rush

1794

English

Early version

Read: The Yellow Fever in Philadelphia, 1793

scarcelRemembering the Yellow Fever of 1793I had scarcely become settled in Philadelphia when in July, 1793, the…Samuel Breck · written 1830 or later (events of 1793); published 1877 · English

Samuel Breck

written 1830 or later (events of 1793); published 1877

English

Early version

Read: Remembering the Yellow Fever of 1793

removalPhiladelphia in Terror, 1793The removals from Philadelphia began about the 25th or 26th of this…Mathew Carey · November 1793, during the last weeks of the epidemic · English

Mathew Carey

November 1793, during the last weeks of the epidemic

English

Early version

Read: Philadelphia in Terror, 1793

consequWe Have Seen More Humanity: An Answer to CareyIn consequence of a partial representation of the conduct of the…Absalom Jones and Richard Allen · January 1794 · English

Absalom Jones and Richard Allen

January 1794

English

Early version

Read: We Have Seen More Humanity: An Answer to Carey

МилостиAn Island Surrounded by QuarantinesМилостивая Государыня Наталья Николаевна. я по французски браниться…Pushkin · October–November 1830 · Russian

Pushkin

October–November 1830

Russian

Early version

Read: An Island Surrounded by Quarantines

mostThe Pump in Broad Street, 1854The most terrible outbreak of cholera which ever occurred in this…John Snow · 1855 · English

John Snow

1855

English

Early version

Read: The Pump in Broad Street, 1854

EpidemiThe Plague Act and the House Searches, Bombay 1897Epidemic Diseases Act (III of 1897). (Received the assent of the…Government of India (R. Nathan, compiler) · 1898 · English

Government of India (R. Nathan, compiler)

1898

English

Early version

Read: The Plague Act and the House Searches, Bombay 1897

Part 6

“TyphoiWhy Single Out One? A Scientist on Typhoid Mary“Typhoid Mary”W. P. Mason · July 1909 · English

W. P. Mason

July 1909

English

Early version

Read: Why Single Out One? A Scientist on Typhoid Mary

UNITEDThe Government Explains the Flu, 1918UNITED STATES PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE. RUPERT BLUE, SURGEON GENERAL.…U.S. Public Health Service · September 28, 1918 · English

U.S. Public Health Service

September 28, 1918

English

Early version

Read: The Government Explains the Flu, 1918

SpanishA Wrong Cure for the Spanish InfluenzaThe Spanish influenza pandemia which is encircling the globe and…Louis Dechmann · 1 February 1919 · English

Louis Dechmann

1 February 1919

English

Early version

Read: A Wrong Cure for the Spanish Influenza

memoryCamp Devens, 1918In the memory chambers of my brain there hang many pictures. Some are…Victor C. Vaughan · published 1926 · English

Victor C. Vaughan

published 1926

English

Early version

Read: Camp Devens, 1918

見かMask見かけだけは肥って居るので、他人からは非常に頑健に思われながら、…Kikuchi Kan · July 1920 · Japanese

Kikuchi Kan

July 1920

Japanese

Early version

Read: Mask

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Classroom units

Each unit asks one big question and draws on several excerpts. Each chapter’s “For teachers” section lists the units it fits.

Who Gets Blamed?. Why do epidemics produce scapegoats?
The Healer's Burden. What does an epidemic ask of those who care for the sick?
Governments, Quarantine, and Consent. When may authorities restrict people to stop a disease?
Explaining Disease Before Germs. How did people make sense of what they couldn't see?
Faith and Catastrophe. How did religious believers respond, and did responses differ?
After the Plague. Did epidemics change societies, or did people go back to normal?
Case Study: Smallpox. How did a terrifying disease become the only one ever eradicated?
Reading Sources Critically. How do we decide whom to believe?