The Big Issue

We died differently back then

In 1592, the deadliest disease of all time, namely plague, returned to London resulting in the deaths of 17,000 people. In response, the Lord Mayor of London ordered that pairs of elderly and responsible women, summoned by ringing a bell, should have the revolting job of viewing every fresh corpse and deciding whether they died from plague or not. Identifying a plague victim could have dire consequences,

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Big Issue

The Big Issue3 min read
Work
FOMO, the Fear of Missing Out, has led me to do things I’d never normally do. That plants a seed in your brain, encouraging you to do new things, stay out later, travel here or there to see this or that. Ignoring some of my wilder nights, FOMO is mos
The Big Issue6 min read
Liz Carr
From my appearance most people will think I was born disabled, but I wasn’t [Carr was disabled from age seven, owing to arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, and has used a wheelchair since she was 14]. So I understand what becoming disabled means. Alt
The Big Issue3 min read
Sam Delaney Is On The Road
I’ve never been a morning person. Through good times and bad, whether I’ve been getting up in the dark to attend a job I hated or sleeping in late before a day of leisure, I’ve always found the first few moments of the day really unpleasant. I wake u

Related Books & Audiobooks