From blefed to scamach: Pestilence in early medieval Ireland

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Between A.D. 540 and 795 a series of major epidemics occurred in Ireland. Recorded in the Irish annals, each outbreak was given a name in Latin or Irish, but without clinical details the identity of specific diseases is speculative. Tentative diagnoses are: bubonic plague (blefed, second buide chonnail, mortalitas puerorum), relapsing fever or infectious hepatitis (first buide chonnail), Hansesn's disease or any scaly skin disorder (samthrosc, lepra), smallpox (bolgach), dysentery (riuth fola), lameness from polio or a cattle zoonosis (baccach) and pneumonia (scamach). Through examination of the annals and their interpretation by medical and other historians, this article provides an overview of the diseases in Ireland during the early medieval period and offers novel suggestions as to the identity of some of the disorders described.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)67-93
Number of pages27
JournalProceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Section C: Archaeology, Celtic Studies, History, Linguistics and Literature
Volume118C
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

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