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{"id":12403,"date":"2017-09-27T11:00:06","date_gmt":"2017-09-27T15:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/?p=12403"},"modified":"2023-10-06T14:44:06","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T18:44:06","slug":"revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/09\/27\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\/","title":{"rendered":"Revealing Data: London’s Deadly Visitation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Circulating Now<em> welcomes guest blogger Kristin Heitman, PhD, who shares her insights on seventeenth century data collection and analysis as part of our <a href=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/category\/series\/revealing-data\/\">Revealing Data<\/a> series. Dr. Heitman is an independent scholar living in Bethesda, Maryland. She and Professor Vanessa Harding of Birkbeck College, University of London, will convene a symposium on the London Bills of Mortality as part of the 2017\u201318 program of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.folger.edu\/folger-institute\">Folger Institute<\/a> in Washington, DC.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>London\u2019s Dreadful Visitation,<\/em>1665-66 is often presented as a Bill of Mortality from the Great Plague, in which an estimated 25 percent of Londoners died. The work is actually a collection of reprints of 52 weekly bills plus an annual summary. Its title page declares it a <em>memento mori<\/em>\u2014a reminder of the imminence of death\u2014while the introduction, written by the printer E. Cotes, argues that perusing the bills plus a bit of careful thought would show that God did not furiously dole out the wages of sin but mercifully spared the survivors, who then had more time to repent.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12824\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12824\" style=\"width: 221px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_011.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"12824\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/09\/27\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\/2378023r_page_011\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_011.jpg?fit=883%2C1200&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"883,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"2378023R_Page_011\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"<p>London\u2019s Dreadful Visitation, 1665-1666<br \/>\nNational Library of Medicine #2378023R <\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_011.jpg?fit=221%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_011.jpg?fit=753%2C1024&ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-12824 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_011.jpg?resize=221%2C300&ssl=1\" alt=\"Title page of London's Dredful Visitation printed with a motief of skulls, hourglasses, and shovels surrounding the text.\" width=\"221\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12824\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>London\u2019s Dreadful Visitation<\/em>, 1665<span class=\"TextRun SCXW241355897 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW241355897 BCX8\">\u2013<\/span><\/span>1666<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/resource.nlm.nih.gov\/2378023R\"><em>National Library of Medicine #2378023R<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It is a peculiar document on many counts. First, apart from the striking title page and brief introduction, Cotes provided only a series of numerical tables. The London Bills of Mortality were neither medical records nor a way to document the deaths of individuals. They were tabulated, parish-by-parish counts of burials as compiled each week by the Company of Parish Clerks, a London guild. The original surveillance program, ordered by the English Crown during the plague of 1519, was executed by London\u2019s merchant-aldermen. While other European cities kept plague <em>rolls<\/em>\u2014rosters in which designated local physicians recorded each plague victim\u2019s name and social status\u2014London recorded only counts.<\/p>\n<p>Second, the Bills included weekly counts of baptisms, and of mortalities not just of plague but of causes such as old age, childbirth, accidents and suicides, smallpox, and scurvy . The Parish Clerks had conducted comprehensive mortality counts for London\u2019s aldermen since the mid-1550s, with baptisms added by the mid-1560s. Cause of death was determined by the local clerk until that duty passed to parish women appointed and trained as inspectors (\u201csearchers\u201d) of the dead, apparently during the plague of 1592<span class=\"TextRun SCXW241355897 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW241355897 BCX8\">\u2013<\/span><\/span>23. These regular, comprehensive reports went only to London\u2019s aldermen, although the Crown and Chancellor began to receive next-day copies after a formal request from William Cecil, Chancellor to Elizabeth I. Publication began at the turn of the century, in step with the rising numeracy of London\u2019s population. During the plagues of 1596<span class=\"TextRun SCXW241355897 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW241355897 BCX8\">\u2013<\/span><\/span>97 and 1601<span class=\"TextRun SCXW241355897 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW241355897 BCX8\">\u2013<\/span><\/span>02, the City\u2019s printer nailed up official broadsides displaying the week\u2019s parish-by-parish counts of baptisms, plague deaths, and total burials. In 1626<span class=\"TextRun SCXW241355897 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW241355897 BCX8\">\u2013<\/span><\/span>67, the Parish Clerks began to print their own two-sided weekly handbills with data from the broader program instituted in the 1550s, plus an annual summary bill at Christmas. <em>London\u2019s Dreadful Visitation<\/em> reproduces 1665\u2019s bills in full.<\/p>\n<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":1,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\\\/2017\\\/09\\\/27\\\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\\\/\"}' id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-12403 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-medium'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/09\/27\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\/2378023r_page_041\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"221\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_041.jpg?fit=221%2C300&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"A list of 130 parishes indicating number of deaths in each.\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-12840\" data-attachment-id=\"12840\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/09\/27\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\/2378023r_page_041\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_041.jpg?fit=1237%2C1681&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1237,1681\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}\" data-image-title=\"353 people died this week\" data-image-description=\"<p>2378023R_Page_041<\/p>\n\" data-image-caption=\"<p>March 21\u201328, 1665<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_041.jpg?fit=221%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_041.jpg?fit=754%2C1024&ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-12840'>\n\t\t\t\tMarch 21\u201328, 1665\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/09\/27\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\/2378023r_page_042\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"221\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_042.jpg?fit=221%2C300&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"The diseases and casualties this week.\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-12841\" data-attachment-id=\"12841\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/09\/27\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\/2378023r_page_042\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_042.jpg?fit=1237%2C1681&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1237,1681\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}\" data-image-title=\"No one died of plague this week\" data-image-description=\"<p>2378023R_Page_042<\/p>\n\" data-image-caption=\"<p>Parishes clear of Plague\u2014130<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_042.jpg?fit=221%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_042.jpg?fit=754%2C1024&ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-12841'>\n\t\t\t\tParishes clear of Plague\u2014130\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/09\/27\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\/2378023r_page_075-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"221\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_0751.jpg?fit=221%2C300&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"A list of 130 parishes indicating number of deaths in each.\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-12842\" data-attachment-id=\"12842\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/09\/27\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\/2378023r_page_075-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_0751.jpg?fit=1237%2C1681&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1237,1681\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}\" data-image-title=\"2785 people died this week\" data-image-description=\"<p>2378023R_Page_075<\/p>\n\" data-image-caption=\"<p>July 18\u201325, 1665<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_0751.jpg?fit=221%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_0751.jpg?fit=754%2C1024&ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-12842'>\n\t\t\t\tJuly 18\u201325, 1665\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/09\/27\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\/2378023r_page_076-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"221\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_0761.jpg?fit=221%2C300&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"The diseases and casualties this week.\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-12843\" data-attachment-id=\"12843\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/09\/27\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\/2378023r_page_076-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_0761.jpg?fit=1237%2C1681&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1237,1681\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}\" data-image-title=\"1843 people died of plague this week\" data-image-description=\"<p>2378023R_Page_076<\/p>\n\" data-image-caption=\"<p>Parishes clear of Plague\u201462<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_0761.jpg?fit=221%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_0761.jpg?fit=754%2C1024&ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-12843'>\n\t\t\t\tParishes clear of Plague\u201462\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/09\/27\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\/2378023r_page_091\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"221\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_091.jpg?fit=221%2C300&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"A list of 130 parishes indicating number of deaths in each.\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-12846\" data-attachment-id=\"12846\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/09\/27\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\/2378023r_page_091\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_091.jpg?fit=1237%2C1681&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1237,1681\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}\" data-image-title=\"8297 people died this week\" data-image-description=\"<p>2378023R_Page_091<\/p>\n\" data-image-caption=\"<p>September 12-19, 1665<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_091.jpg?fit=221%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_091.jpg?fit=754%2C1024&ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-12846'>\n\t\t\t\tSeptember 12-19, 1665\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/09\/27\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\/2378023r_page_092\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"221\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_092.jpg?fit=221%2C300&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"The diseases and casualties this week.\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-12847\" data-attachment-id=\"12847\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2017\/09\/27\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\/2378023r_page_092\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_092.jpg?fit=1237%2C1681&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1237,1681\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}\" data-image-title=\"7165 people died of plague this week\" data-image-description=\"<p>2378023R_Page_092<\/p>\n\" data-image-caption=\"<p>Parishes clear of Plague\u20144<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_092.jpg?fit=221%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_092.jpg?fit=754%2C1024&ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-12847'>\n\t\t\t\tParishes clear of Plague\u20144\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Why would anyone buy a whole year\u2019s worth of outdated handbills? So many of these bills have survived to the present that historians believe they must have sold quite well. Yet they were ephemera, their information outdated from week to week. Cotes framed her work simply as a spiritual exercise, but the official Bills had already gained new interest with John Graunt\u2019s ground-breaking <em><a href=\"http:\/\/resource.nlm.nih.gov\/2356014R\">Natural and Political Observations on the Bills of Mortality<\/a>,<\/em>1662. Graunt proposed the basic methods of population-data science using only common experience and the \u201cshop arithmetic\u201d of proportions and the four basic operations. He used counts of both baptisms and mortalities drawn from the Bills\u2014not just for plague, but also for more ordinary causes. A fold-out master table appended to the end of the book allowed readers to follow his detailed analysis, acquire the techniques, and make their own calculations and observations. By the time <em>London\u2019s Dreadful Visitation<\/em> appeared, the <em>Observations<\/em> had gone through two sold-out editions and a third was in the works.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"840\" data-carousel-extra='{"blog_id":1,"permalink":"https:\\\/\\\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\\\/2017\\\/09\\\/27\\\/revealing-data-londons-deadly-visitation\\\/","likes_blog_id":"52242398"}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 840px; height: 296px;\" data-original-width=\"840\" data-original-height=\"296\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 422px; height: 296px;\" data-original-width=\"422\" data-original-height=\"296\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2024\/12\/19\/why-epidemiology-should-have-been-first-discovered-in-china-but-wasnt\/graunt-title\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"418\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"292\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"12912\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/graunt-title.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1119\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"10","credit":"","camera":"NIKON D7100","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1505985814","copyright":"","focal_length":"60","iso":"800","shutter_speed":"0.008","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"Titlepage in Graunt, 1662\" data-image-description=\"<p>http:\/\/locatorplus.gov\/cgi-bin\/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&amp;v2=1&amp;ti=1,1&amp;Search_Arg=2356014R&amp;Search_Code=0359&amp;CNT=25&amp;SID=1<\/p> \" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/graunt-title.jpg?fit=300%2C210&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/graunt-title.jpg?fit=840%2C587&ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/graunt-title.jpg?w=418&h=292&ssl=1\" width=\"418\" height=\"292\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"418\" data-original-height=\"292\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"Titlepage in Graunt, 1662\" alt=\"A leather bound book open to the title page.\" style=\"width: 418px; height: 292px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Natural and Political Observations Mentioned in a Following Index, and Made Upon the Bills of Mortality…by John Graunt, 1686 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 418px; height: 296px;\" data-original-width=\"418\" data-original-height=\"296\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/graunt-chart\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"414\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"292\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"12911\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/graunt-chart.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1130\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"4.5","credit":"","camera":"NIKON D7100","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1505987357","copyright":"","focal_length":"60","iso":"560","shutter_speed":"0.008","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"Table of Causalties in Graunt, 1662\" data-image-description=\"<p>http:\/\/locatorplus.gov\/cgi-bin\/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&amp;v2=1&amp;ti=1,1&amp;Search_Arg=2356014R&amp;Search_Code=0359&amp;CNT=25&amp;SID=1<\/p> \" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/graunt-chart.jpg?fit=300%2C212&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/graunt-chart.jpg?fit=840%2C593&ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/graunt-chart.jpg?w=414&h=292&ssl=1\" width=\"414\" height=\"292\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"414\" data-original-height=\"292\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"Table of Causalties in Graunt, 1662\" alt=\"A leather bound book with a very large fold out chart of statistics titled Table of Casualties.\" style=\"width: 414px; height: 292px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Natural and Political Observations Mentioned in a Following Index, and Made Upon the Bills of Mortality…by John Graunt, 1662 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<p>Even in 1662, however, the market for such works was already both deep and broad. The plagues of 1625<span class=\"TextRun SCXW241355897 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW241355897 BCX8\">\u2013<\/span><\/span>26 and 1636<span class=\"TextRun SCXW241355897 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW241355897 BCX8\">\u2013<\/span><\/span>67 had given rise to \u201ccommemorative\u201d broadsides that featured dramatic woodcuts, medical advice, prayers for the sick and the nation, advertisements, and tables of weekly mortality counts for previous plagues. In 1636, London printers began to sell \u201ccomposite\u201d bills, similar in layout and content but likely for personal use, since they left blank space where one could fill in weekly counts as the epidemic unfolded. Still, <em>London\u2019s Dreadful Visitation<\/em> differs from commemorative and composite bills as well, for it provides neither medical advice nor prayers nor even advertisements\u2014just the reprints of the year\u2019s official Bills.<\/p>\n<p>Many later assumed that Graunt himself produced <em>London\u2019s Dreadful Visitation<\/em>, as a sort of companion piece to the <em>Observations<\/em>. We have no evidence for that belief; yet for those who had mastered Graunt\u2019s methods, Cotes\u2019 reprinted tables could reveal God\u2019s hand not striking suddenly in wrath but methodically weaving a complex tapestry of deaths in which plague formed but a single, dreadful thread.<\/p>\n<p><em>NLM\u2019s History of Medicine Division\u2019s collection holds copies of <\/em>London\u2019s Dreadful Visitation<em> and all five editions of Graunt\u2019s <\/em>Observations<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>We hear about data every day. In historical medical collections, data abounds, both quantitative and qualitative. In its format, scope, and biases, data inherently contains more information than its face value. This series, <a href=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/category\/series\/revealing-data\/\">Revealing Data<\/a>, explores how, by preserving the research data of the past and making it publicly available, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) helps to ensure that generations of researchers can reexamine it, reveal new stories, and make new discoveries. As the NLM becomes the new home of data science at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), <\/em>Circulating Now<em> explores<\/em> w<em>hat researchers from a variety of disciplines are learning from centuries of preserved data, and how their work can help us think about the future preservation and uses of the data we collect today.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Circulating Now welcomes guest blogger Kristin Heitman, PhD, who shares her insights on seventeenth century data collection and analysis as<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19605840,"featured_media":12833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12763,51014,347145303,76943049,2347],"tags":[275516,22379,8437,1311,145811],"class_list":["post-12403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-collections","category-guests","category-rare-books-journals","category-revealing-data","category-series","tag-1600s","tag-data","tag-death","tag-england","tag-plague"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2378023r_page_011_feature.jpg?fit=900%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3xcDk-3e3","jetpack-related-posts":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19605840"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12403"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26808,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12403\/revisions\/26808"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} |