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This interdisciplinary volume illuminates the shadowy history of
the disadvantaged, sick and those who did not conform to the
accepted norms of society. It explores how marginal identity was
formed, perceived and represented in Britain and Europe during the
medieval and early modern periods. It illustrates that the
identities of marginal groups were shaped by their place within
primarily urban communities, both in terms of their socio-economic
status and the spaces in which they lived and worked. Some of these
groups - such as executioners, prostitutes, pedlars and slaves -
performed a significant social and economic function but on the
basis of this were stigmatized by other townspeople. Language was
used to control and limit the activities of others within society
such as single women and foreigners, as well as the victims of
sexual crimes. For many, such as lepers and the disabled, marginal
status could be ambiguous, cyclical or short-lived and affected by
key religious, political and economic events. Traditional histories
have often considered these groups in isolation. Based on new
research, a series of case studies from Britain and across Europe
illustrate and provide important insights into the problems faced
by these marginal groups and the ways in which medieval and early
modern communities were shaped and developed.
Developed throughout early modern Europe, lazaretti, or plague
hospitals, took on a central role in early modern responses to
epidemic disease, in particular the prevention and treatment of
plague. The lazaretti served as isolation hospitals, quarantine
centres, convalescent homes, cemeteries, and depots for the
disinfection or destruction of infected goods. The first permanent
example of this institution was established in Venice in 1423 and
between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries tens of thousands of
patients passed through the doors. Founded on lagoon islands, the
lazaretti tell us about the relationship between the city and its
natural environment. The plague hospitals also illustrate the way
in which medical structures in Venice intersected with those of
piety and poor relief and provided a model for public health which
was influential across Europe. This is the first detailed study of
how these plague hospitals functioned, where they were situated,
who worked there, what it was like to stay there, and how many
people survived. Comparisons are made between the Venetian
lazaretti and similar institutions in Padua, Verona and other
Italian and European cities. Centred on the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries, during which time there were both serious
plague outbreaks in Europe and periods of relative calm, the book
explores what the lazaretti can tell us about early modern medicine
and society and makes a significant contribution to both Venetian
history and our understanding of public health in early modern
Europe, engaging with ideas of infection and isolation, charity and
cure, dirt, disease and death.
This interdisciplinary volume illuminates the shadowy history of
the disadvantaged, sick and those who did not conform to the
accepted norms of society. It explores how marginal identity was
formed, perceived and represented in Britain and Europe during the
medieval and early modern periods. It illustrates that the
identities of marginal groups were shaped by their place within
primarily urban communities, both in terms of their socio-economic
status and the spaces in which they lived and worked. Some of these
groups - such as executioners, prostitutes, pedlars and slaves -
performed a significant social and economic function but on the
basis of this were stigmatized by other townspeople. Language was
used to control and limit the activities of others within society
such as single women and foreigners, as well as the victims of
sexual crimes. For many, such as lepers and the disabled, marginal
status could be ambiguous, cyclical or short-lived and affected by
key religious, political and economic events. Traditional histories
have often considered these groups in isolation. Based on new
research, a series of case studies from Britain and across Europe
illustrate and provide important insights into the problems faced
by these marginal groups and the ways in which medieval and early
modern communities were shaped and developed.
Developed throughout early modern Europe, lazaretti, or plague
hospitals, took on a central role in early modern responses to
epidemic disease, in particular the prevention and treatment of
plague. The lazaretti served as isolation hospitals, quarantine
centres, convalescent homes, cemeteries, and depots for the
disinfection or destruction of infected goods. The first permanent
example of this institution was established in Venice in 1423 and
between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries tens of thousands of
patients passed through the doors. Founded on lagoon islands, the
lazaretti tell us about the relationship between the city and its
natural environment. The plague hospitals also illustrate the way
in which medical structures in Venice intersected with those of
piety and poor relief and provided a model for public health which
was influential across Europe. This is the first detailed study of
how these plague hospitals functioned, where they were situated,
who worked there, what it was like to stay there, and how many
people survived. Comparisons are made between the Venetian
lazaretti and similar institutions in Padua, Verona and other
Italian and European cities. Centred on the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries, during which time there were both serious
plague outbreaks in Europe and periods of relative calm, the book
explores what the lazaretti can tell us about early modern medicine
and society and makes a significant contribution to both Venetian
history and our understanding of public health in early modern
Europe, engaging with ideas of infection and isolation, charity and
cure, dirt, disease and death.
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