B U BO NIC PLA GUE 95 



London in 1625 caused a mortality of more than 

 35,000. In 1630 a severe epidemic occurred in 

 Milan, and in 1636 London again suffered a mor- 

 tality of over 10,000, while the disease continued to 

 claim numerous victims in other parts of England 

 and on "the continent." Later in the century (1656) 

 some of the Italian cities suffered devastating epi- 

 demics. The mortality in the city of Naples was in 

 the neighbourhood of 300,000, in Genoa 60,000, in 

 Rome 14,000. The smaller mortality in the last- 

 named city has been ascribed to the sanitary meas- 

 ures instituted by Cardinal Gastaldi. Up to this 

 time prayers, processionals, the firing of cannons, 

 etc., had been the chief reliance for the arrest of pesti- 

 lence, with what success is shown by the brief his- 

 torical review thus far presented. This enlightened 

 prelate inaugurated a method of combating the 

 plague and other infectious maladies which, with in- 

 creasing knowledge and experience in the use of 

 scientific preventive measures, has given us the mas- 

 tery of these pestilential diseases, and has been the 

 principal factor in the extinction of bubonic plague 

 from the civilised countries of Europe. 



But it was long after the time of Cardinal Gas- 

 taldi before sanitary science was established upon a 

 scientific basis and had acquired the confidence of 

 the educated classes. Indeed the golden age of 



