Bubonic plague broke out in Seattle
On Oct. 1, 1907, bubonic plague broke out in Seattle when three (possibly seven) people died. Rats were…
In March, Chick Gin, a Chinese proprietor, died of bubonic plague in the Chinese quarter of San Francisco
In March 1900, Chick Gin, the Chinese proprietor of a lumberyard, died of bubonic plague in a flophouse…
The city of San Francisco’s quarantine of Chinatown was ruled discriminatory
In 1900, the city of San Francisco’s quarantine of Chinatown ruled discriminatory, but city health officials conducted house-to-house…
First plague vaccine developed by Russian physician Waldemar M. W. Haffkine
On Jan. 10, 1897, Russian physician Waldemar M. W. Haffkine, who trained with Louis Pasteur in Paris, tested…
Plague vaccine was introduced, following the preparation of anti-plague horse serum at the Pasteur Institute
In 1897, a plague vaccine was introduced, following the preparation of anti-plague horse serum at the Pasteur Institute…
Vampire panic caused by tuberculosis
On Jan. 27, 1896, the Boston Globe published a story on superstitious beliefs in rural Rhode Island that…
Plague pandemic began in China and lasted over a decade spreading from Hong Kong throughout the world
In 1894, the last major plague pandemic began in China and lasted over a decade spreading from Hong…
Alexandre Yersin isolated from buboes the causative bacillus that later was named Yersinia pestis
In 1894, Alexandre Yersin, a member of the French Colonial Health Service in Hong Kong isolated from buboes…
Shibasaburo Kitasato identified the cause of the plague
In 1894, Kitasato Shibasaburo isolated the causative bacillus from buboes, later named Yersinia pestis, while he researched the…
Agriculture | Biotechnology | Influenza | Life Science History | Life Science News | Plague | Vaccine
Avian influenza (bird flu) was first described
In 1878, The first description of avian influenza (bird flu) dates to 1878 in northern Italy, when it…
The first international sanitary conference was held in Paris, France
In 1850, the first international sanitary conference is held in Paris, France with a goal of making quarantines…
The Great Plague of Marseille began
On May 25, 1720, the Great Plague of Marseille began with the arrival of the Grand St Antoine…
A plague epidemic around the Baltic Sea led England to pass the Quarantine Act
In 1712, a plague epidemic around the Baltic Sea led England to pass the Quarantine Act that required…
A Massachusetts statute quarantined victims of the plague, smallpox and other infectious diseases
In 1697, a Massachusetts statute stipulated that all individuals suffering from plague, smallpox, and other infectious diseases must…
The city of Frankfurt, Germany prohibited people living in plague-infected houses from public areas
In 1666, the city of Frankfurt, Germany issued a decree prohibiting people living in plague-infected houses from visiting…
The bubonic plague arrived in the English village of Eyam
In 1665 a tailor from Eyam ordered a box of materials relating to his trade from London, that…
Russia officials organized quarantines to prevent the spread of the plague
In 1664, Russia officials organized quarantines to prevent the spread of the plague and prohibited entry into Moscow…
The English monarchy issued royal decrees calling for establishment of permanent quarantines
In 1663, the English monarchy issued royal decrees calling for the establishment of permanent quarantines for people infected…
The English enacted a quarantine on all ships bound for London
In 1663, the English enacted a quarantine on all ships bound for London requiring each to pause at…
After a plague epidemic kills 100,000 people in Naples, Rome begins inspecting all incoming ships
In 1656, after a plague epidemic kills 100,000 people in Naples, Rome began inspecting all incoming ships and…
Florentine scholar Francesco Rondinelli described the use of the “Wine Windows” to prevent the spread of the Plague
In 1634, the Florentine scholar, Francesco Rondinelli, wrote a report about a disease contagion, now known as the…
Sanitary legislation was drawn up in Venice to address plague epidemics
In 1629, sanitary legislation was drawn up in Venice that required health officers to visit homes during plague…
Ships entering Italian ports during plague outbreaks were required to lie at anchor for forty days (a Quaranta Giorni) prior to docking
In 1377, ships entering Italian ports during plague outbreaks were required to lie at anchor for forty days…
The town of Ragusa in Italy established a quarantine station
In 1370, the town of Ragusa in Italy established a quarantine station where all people arriving from plague-infected…
Venice established the world’s first institutionalized system of quarantine
In 1348, Venice established the world’s first institutionalized system of quarantine that gave a council of three the…
The Duke of Milan drew up an edict mandating that all those suffering from plague should be taken outside the city
In 1348, the Duke of Milan drew up an edict mandating that all those suffering from plague should…
In an early act of biological warfare, Tartars catapulted the bodies of Plague victims at invading Christians
In 1346, during a siege of Kaffa (now Feodosia, Ukraine), the Tartar army catapulted bodies of plague victims…
Fleas riding on black rats in the holds of Italian ships brought Yersina pestis to the Sicilian port of Messina
In 1346, spread by infected galleys coming from Kaffa (Crimea), the Black Death reached Genoa, as it now…
The first hospitals were established in England
From 1050-1350 marked a particularly active phase of the disease that made necessary the introduction of large-scale specialist…
Outbreaks of bubonic plague declined after claiming half of Europe’s population
In 541, an outbreak of bubonic plague (yersina pestis), a bacterial disease later named the Black Plague or…