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St. Anthony's Fire
St. Anthony's Fire (SAF) is an illness brought on by the ingestion of fungus-contaminated rye grain causing ergot poisoning (ergotism). The disease's common name derives from the medieval Benedictine monks dedicated to that saint who offered...
Video
Plague in the Ancient and Medieval World
The word 'plague', in defining a lethal epidemic, was coined by the physician Galen (l. 130-210 CE) who lived through the Antonine Plague (165 - c. 180/190 CE) but the disease was recorded long before in relating the affliction of the Plague...
Definition
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius (r. 161 to 180 CE) was a Roman emperor best known as the last of the Five Good Emperors of Rome (following Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius) and as the author of the philosophical work Meditations. Although it has...
Definition
Roman Medicine
Roman medicine was greatly influenced by earlier Greek medicine and literature but would also make its own unique contribution to the history of medicine through the work of such famous experts as Galen and Celsus. Whilst there were professional...
Video
History's Deadliest Pandemics: From Antonine Plague To COVID-19
Based on the infographic released by visualcapitalist.com: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/history-of-pandemics-deadliest/This video visualizes some of history’s most deadly pandemics, from the Antonine Plague to the ongoing Novel Coronavirus...
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Plague of Justinian & Yersinia pestis
Genomic analysis has shown that the plague of Justinian and the Black Death were caused by distinct strains of the same pathogen. Dr. Hendrik Poinar discusses the findings.Video copyright: McMaster University
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The Plague of Justinian
In 540 CE, Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I had great ambition of regaining Western Roman territories. His goal was to restore the Eastern Roman empire to what it was before the Roman empire dissolved. However, just a year later Emperor...
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Doctors, Diseases and Deities: Epidemic Crises and Medicine in Ancient Rome
In this lecture presented at The Explorers Club in New York, BAS Director of Educational Programs Sarah Yeomans examines a recently excavated, as-yet unpublished archaeological site that has substantially contributed to our understanding...
Video
6 Mysterious Ancient Outbreaks
Epidemiologists are always trying to get one step ahead of the next big outbreak - and often the best clues we have come from outbreaks of the past.Hosted by: Stefan Chin
Definition
Black Death
The Black Death was a plague pandemic that devastated medieval Europe from 1347 to 1352. The Black Death killed an estimated 25-30 million people. The disease originated in central Asia and was taken to the Crimea by Mongol warriors and traders...