''Loimologia, or, an historical Account of the Plague in London in 1665, With precautionary Directions against the like Contagion'' is a treatise by Dr.

Nathaniel Hodges Nathaniel Hodges M.D. (1629–1688) was an English physician, known for his work during the Great Plague of London and his written account ''Loimologia'' of it. Early life The son of Dr. Thomas Hodges, vicar of Kensington, he was born there o ...

(1629–1688), originally published in London in Latin (''Loimologia, sive, Pestis nuperæ apud populum Londinensem grassantis narratio historica'') in 1672; an English translation was later published in London in 1720. The treatise provides a first-hand account of the

Great Plague of London The Great Plague of London, lasting from 1665 to 1666, was the last major epidemic of the bubonic plague to occur in England. It happened within the centuries-long Second Pandemic, a period of intermittent bubonic plague epidemics that origi ...

; it has been described as the best medical record of the epidemic. While most physicians fled the city, including the renowned

Thomas Sydenham Thomas Sydenham (10 September 1624 – 29 December 1689) was an English physician. He was the author of ''Observationes Medicae'' which became a standard textbook of medicine for two centuries so that he became known as 'The English Hippocrate ...

, and Sir

Edward Alston Sir Edward Alston (1595–24 December 1669), was the president of the College of Physicians. Alston was born in Suffolk, son of Edward Alston of Edwardstone, and was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge. He graduated B.A. 1615, M.D. 1626. ...

, president of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

, Hodges was one of the few physicians who remained in the city during 1665, to record observations and test the effectiveness of treatments against the plague. The book also contains statistics on the victims in each

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

.Countway, Francis A (2003).
Gilt by Association: A Celebration of Medical History
'. Library of Medicine. Harvard University. URL accessed 2006-09-06. The English translation (1720) was released while a plague was spreading throughout

Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

, and people in England were fearful of another outbreak.
Hippocrates to Harrison: Infection and Immunity
''. University of Sydney Library. 2006. To this 1720 edition was added ''An essay on the different causes of pestilential diseases, and how they become contagious; with remarks on the infection now in France, and the most probable means to prevent its spreading here'', by John Quincy. ''Loimologia'' was one of the sources used by

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, trader, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel '' Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its ...

when writing ''

A Journal of the Plague Year ''A Journal of the Plague Year: Being Observations or Memorials, Of the most Remarkable Occurrences, As well Publick as Private, which happened in London During the last Great Visitation In 1665'', commonly called ''A Journal of the Plague Ye ...

'' (1722).

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{{authority control 1672 books 1720 books 17th-century history books 18th-century history books History books about London History books about medicine History books about the 17th century Science books Medical literature English non-fiction literature 17th century in London Health in London 17th-century Latin books Second plague pandemic

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