The final plague outbreak in Scotland 1644-1649: Historical, archaeological, and genetic evidence.

ABSTRACT: This paper has several aims: to determine if Yersinia pestis was the causative agent in the last Scottish plague outbreak in the mid-17th century; map the geographic spread of the epidemic and isolate potential contributing factors to its spread and severity; and examine funerary behaviours in the context of a serious plague epidemic in early modern Scotland. Results confirm the presence of Y. pestis in individuals associated with a mid-17th century plague pit in Aberdeen. This is the first time this pathogen has been identified in an archaeological sample from Scotland. The geographic spread of the plague from 1644 through to 1649 is generally, with some key exceptions, restricted to the central lowlands of Scotland. The role of administrative responses to the epidemic in managing its spr

SUBMITTER: Dittmar J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11559987 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature