Brief Overview Of The Great Mortality By John Kelly

The Great Mortality by John Kelly delivers vivid accounts and perspectives on the disease that plagued the much of the medieval century. Kelly, a seasoned author and graduate in European studies, provides this well researched book into further understanding the Black Death. The book, thorough and entertaining to read allows a reader to go back into time and vividly picture life during the the Black Plague.

Beginning from plague eruption in 1347 until the 1350’s, disease raced out of Asia, west into the Middle East and throughout Europe. Initially carried by rodents, fleas, and spread through, travel, dense populations, and poor hygiene; the Black Death claimed the lives of an estimated third to a half of the European population.

In his

introduction, John Kelly explains his initial intentions to explore newly emerging diseases and their possible threats and effects to society. However, he realizes to do that, we must first gain a deeper understanding of the past. As Kelly quotes, “ While history may never repeat itself, “man” always does.” To be able to relate the history and impact of the Black Death in the more modern era, Kelly delves into great detail of the causes of the Black Plague and how they altered the course of history in medieval Eurasia. He attempts to understand the lives of the men, women, and children who experienced life during this time.
Through his storytelling style, Kelly paints clear images of what life was like “...

from the bustling ports along the China Sea to the sleepy fishing villages of coastal Portugal”- pre, during, and post plague. Kelly provides factual understanding of plague origins and scientific theories, while recounting the varied reactions to the plague by quoting individuals personal diaries, letters, and entries. From the perspective of a part-time tax collector is Sienna, Kelly recounts “ It was corpses packed like “lasagna” in municipal plague pits, collection carts winding through early morning streets to pick up the previous day's dead, husbands abandoning dying wives and parents abandoning dying children - for fear of contagion…”. The author uses detailed accounts to help depict politics, population, economic, societal, and religious upheavals as well. He’s able to bring alive a world of voice and personality to one of the Eurasia's most devastating epidemics. Though Kelly has a tendency to ramble and get repetitive at some points, overall he was able to provide a truly in depth understanding of life in this time period that was engaging and enlightening to read

about.
Also included was Afterword: The Plague Deniers, a short chapter, which allows a glimpse into controversial theories and arguments about true causes of the disease, as well as later plague epidemic comparisons.

This additional acknowledgment peaks interest even more as it allows a reader to look at differing perspectives from others. Kelly uses this section to debunk theories of modern plague deniers. He counter argues theories such as the Black Death being caused by a disease other than plague. Kelly refutes this idea by providing new evidence of DNA samples found in dental pulp in fourteenth century corpses that proved to match other verified samples of plague (300). This section adds to Kelly’s validity on the subject and adds an interesting, thought provoking element to the

book.
Through the last chapter, Kelly touches on how religion, science, medicine, industry, culture, and society were affected post-plague. He leaves the book with on a more pleasant note as he tells about Europe's ability to restabilize itself after much devastation. He describes society's new innovative personality and the recapturing of its momentum. This section is brief and leaves his final conclusion slightly unclear. However, his main purpose of providing an intimate look into the thoughts of individuals and their experiences is well delivered.
The construction of the book should also be noted. As a reader, Kelly’s use of footnotes throughout the book were very useful. He uses them to either define, give insight, or offer additional information on more unfamiliar terms. I found myself regularly referring to them while reading as it made understanding the topics and text smoother. Also impressive were the notes and the abundance of references provided at the back of the book which shed light into the volume of research that went into the making of this book.
The Great Mortality is a pleasant and highly educational read. While John Kelly presents scientific details and historical facts, he also provides understanding of the profound impact the Black Death had. It’s Kelly’s focus on the individual people of the time that makes this book stand out from any other high academic or cold clinical written book on this same subject. He is truly able to provide an intimate look into the people and their experiences during this time period. This book is a good resource to students or anyone with personal interest on the subject and is worth reading.