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The Black Death in Utopia
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Imagines how an outbreak of the bubonic plague would have been dealt with in the dreamland created by Sir Thomas More in his book UTOPIA.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Imagines how an outbreak of the bubonic plague would have been dealt with in the dreamland created by Sir Thomas More in his book UTOPIA.
Paper Introduction:
Sir Thomas More, also known as Saint Thomas More (because of sanctification by the Catholic Church) is probably best known for his confrontation with King Henry VIII, for which he lost his life. He was a statesman as well as a political and social philosopher. His most famous work is his Utopia, a book in which he created his version of a perfect society and gave his name to such conceptions ever after as "utopias." The word is of Greek origin, a play on the Greek word eutopos, meaning good place. In the book, More describes a pagan and communist city-state in which the institutions and policies are governed entirely by reason. The order and dignity of the state in this book contrasted sharply with the reality of statecraft in Christian Europe at the time, a region divided by self-interest and greed for power and riches. In this book, More included discussions of a large number of
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The thirty or so families living under theleadership of one Syphogrant eat together in the great hall. Yet, in the modern age wehave been able to control most infectious diseases, eliminating theunsanitary conditions that produce them in the industrialized nations andattacking them with wonder drugs in areas still afflicted with suchproblems. However, they would certainly have responded to it withmeasures they might believe to be more effective, measures in keeping withMore's outline for their community. The intent, according to More, is to avoidpolluting the atmosphere and endangering the health of the population, soMore clearly knows that a lack of sanitation does contribute to the spreadof disease. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britanica, pp. (ed.). In this book, More includeddiscussions of a large number of topics covering the institutions ofsociety, including penology, state-controlled education, religiouspluralism, divorce, euthanasia, and women's rights. One such customis that of community dining. He was astatesman as well as a political and social philosopher. The markets are contained in specific parts of the city,and the slaughtering of animals has been relegated to the slaves at a placeoutside the city specifically in order to prevent any unclean material frombeing brought into the city. In the book, More describes a pagan and communist city-state inwhich the institutions and policies are governed entirely by reason. Just as theSyphogrants usually would oversee the work day, so they would now overseethe work to control the plague. Plague. Plague is spread from rodents to human beings in crowded urbanareas in a form sometimes called murine (rat) or urban plague, while plaguein desert or rural areas, where the rodent population is sparse but may beinfected, is called sylvatic (woodland) or campestral (field) plague. Had the Black Death appeared in More's Utopia, it is not likely thatthe people would have fared much better than those of Europe. 492-493.More, T. The population of the city is maintained at a reasonable size ofabout 6, , perhaps avoiding the sort of crowding that contributed to thespread of the plague in Europe. Travelis already regulated, and travel will be controlled according toperceptions of how travel might spread the disease from city to country,country to city, or city to city. They wouldhave had no more understanding of the nature of the disease, its cause, orhow to cure it. (1992). Inthe fourteenth century, the disease was known as the Black Death, and someplague infections were bubonic and some were pneumonic. As noted, though, it is not certain how well these measures would doin controlling the disease. The provisions for sanitation should behelpful, since a lack of sanitation was responsible for the number of casesin Europe. The high status accorded the leadership in the Utopia shouldalso cause the people to be fully cooperative in coping with this threat. The priests and magistrates now encourage such people to end theirmisery, and there is no fear that this is the end because they believe inthe immortality of the soul. Sanitation would also be emphasized inUtopia to a greater degree, and this as well should help reduce the spreadof the disease. The Black Death of the Middle Ages has long held a mythic place inhistory as a story of a terrible pestilence visited upon Europe, apestilence that perhaps could return one day. The priests and magistrates might see theremoval of the sick as a way of controlling the spread of the disease, andthey would expect the people to cooperate and to help reduce the danger. Utopia. Encyclopedia Britanica. His most famouswork is his Utopia, a book in which he created his version of a perfectsociety and gave his name to such conceptions ever after as "utopias." Theword is of Greek origin, a play on the Greek word eutopos, meaning goodplace. Sir Thomas More, also known as Saint Thomas More (because ofsanctification by the Catholic Church) is probably best known for hisconfrontation with King Henry VIII, for which he lost his life. It has beenestimated that in various parts of Europe between two-thirds and three-fourths of the population was killed in the first pestilence, and one-quarter of the population of all of Europe may have died during the greatepidemic (McHenry, pp. New York: Bantam Books. Plague is primarily a disease of rodents, andepidemics with human beings begin with contact with the fleas of infectedrodents. Theorder and dignity of the state in this book contrasted sharply with thereality of statecraft in Christian Europe at the time, a region divided byself-interest and greed for power and riches. 492-493). There are three clinical forms of the disease in the human being:bubonic plague which is characterized by the swelling of the lymph nodes(buboes); pneumonic plague with the extensive involvement of the lungs; andsepticemic plague in which the bloodstream is so invaded by the bacillusthat death ensues before the bubonic or pneumonic forms have had time toappear. For one thing, the entire communitywould be organized so as to address the problem, and no one would be leftto his or her own devices as far as the disease was concerned. Works CitedMcHenry, R. As thedisease spreads, it is likely to be decided that gatherings of people onlyhelp spread the disease, and the practice of the countryside in having eachfamily eat in their own home is likely to be adopted in the city. Every member of the society would beenlisted in the effort, which would be community-wide, well-coordinated,and concentrated on the problems at hand. Some of the other norms of the society of Utopia might have to bealtered in order to prevent the spread of the disease, assuming that theleaders can perceive that these measures would be helpful. The organism that causes bubonic plague is well known today.The plague is caused by a bacillus called Yersinia pestis that istransmitted by the flea. The practice of euthanasia might have to be extended in Utopia as theplague creates more and more people who are extremely ill with no hope fora cure.
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