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Summary

The beginning of modern, twentieth-century epidemiology is usually associated with the introduction of mathematical approaches and formal methods to the field. However, since the late nineteenth century, the nascent field of epidemiology not only developed statistical instruments and stochastic models, but also relied on new forms of narrative to make its claims. This chapter will ask how chronologies of outbreaks, the increasing complexity of causal models and statistical and geographical representations were brought together in epidemiological reasoning. The chapter focuses on three outbreak reports from the third plague pandemic as critical examples. Reports grappled with the unexpected return of a devastating menace from the past, while inadvertently shaping the contours of a modern, scientific argument. Epidemiological reasoning emphasized historical dimensions and temporal structures of epidemics and integrated formalized approaches with empirical descriptions while contributing to the growing rejection of mono-causal explanations for epidemics.

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14 - Reporting on Plagues: Epidemiological Reasoning in the Early Twentieth Century

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14 - Reporting on Plagues: Epidemiological Reasoning in the Early Twentieth Century

Summary