1665 Great Plague of London health pamphlet is eerily similar to 2020 Covid advice

A recently discovered health advice document issued during the Great Plague of London strikes eerie similarities to today’s COVID19 advice.

The 10 page pamphlet, entitled Certain Necessary Directions for the Cure of the Plague, was produced by the Royal College of Physicians in the 1600s to fight against the spread of the bubonic plague in 1665.

Just like today’s advice, the public are told to avoid crowded places andm to stop disease being brought in from abroad, there was a strict 40 day quarantine for traders where they would isolate themselves on their ships.

One section reads: “Prohibiting persons and goods coming from foreign countries and places infected, to be landed for 40 days, is most rational, for preventing the bringing in of the contagion from such places”, and calls on cross-country travellers to carry a ‘certificate of health’.

Regular street cleaning was also recommended.

The pamphlet seems to echo advice issued out by the current UK Government and Prime Minister Boris Johnson during this COVID19 pandemic such as the latest ‘rule of six’ meant to keep people from gathering in large groups, and restrictions on travel- including quarantine.

Failure to follow guidelines could result in a fine of up to £10,000.

Free copies of the pamphlet were handed out by government officials to spread the message. This plague lasted from 1665 to 1666, and was thankfully the last serious spread of the bubonic plague to happen in England.

It killed around 100,000 people in 18 months.

The pamphlet is suspected to be worth around £800 and will be sold by a private collector with London based Forum Auctions.

A specialist at Forum Auctions, Max Hasler, said: “You could describe this as one of the earliest government health pamphlets. The fascinating thing is that the instructions given in the pamphlet are eerily similar to today’s advice.”

The sale of the pamphlet takes place on Thursday.