Medicine Through TimeKey Facts

Comparing Black Death (1348) and Great Plague (1665)

Part of The Great Plague · GCSE GCSE History revision

This key facts covers Comparing Black Death (1348) and Great Plague (1665) within The Great Plague for GCSE History. Revise The Great Plague in Medicine Through Time for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 2 of 13 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 2 of 13

Practice

8 questions

Recall

15 flashcards

📊 Comparing Black Death (1348) and Great Plague (1665)

Aspect	Black Death 1348	Great Plague 1665	Change?
Believed Causes	Miasma (bad air from rotting matter), God, planets, humours	Miasma, God, planets, humours	NO CHANGE
Treatments	Bleeding, purging, theriac, prayer	Bleeding, purging, theriac, prayer	NO CHANGE
Prevention	Carry flowers, burn herbs	Carry flowers, burn herbs, fires in streets	MINOR
Government Action	Limited; some quarantine	Organised: Bills of Mortality, quarantine laws, searchers	IMPROVED
Death Toll	~2 million (30-50% of England)	~100,000 in London (15-20% of city)	Lower % but still devastating

Keep building this topic

Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in The Great Plague. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

Setting the Scene Government Measures 1665 Exam Technique: Continuity vs Change Why Did the Great Plague Kill 100,000 Londoners Despite 300 Years of Medical "Progress"?

Practice Questions for The Great Plague

Approximately how many people died in the Great Plague in London in 1665?

A. 10,000
B. 100,000
C. 500,000
D. 2 million

1 markfoundation

What were Bills of Mortality introduced during the Great Plague of 1665?

A. Laws banning public gatherings
B. Fines imposed on households that broke quarantine
C. Weekly published counts of deaths from plague
D. Orders to kill dogs and cats in infected areas

1 markfoundation

Quick Recall Flashcards

What were Bills of Mortality?

Weekly death counts published by the government — first systematic disease tracking

What were the Plague Orders?

Government rules during the Great Plague: infected houses marked with a red cross, residents locked inside for 40 days, watchmen posted to enforce quarantine

8 questions on The Great Plague — practise free

Instant marking, adaptive difficulty, and 15 spaced repetition flashcards. Free until your GCSEs.

Try PrepWise Free

Setting the Scene

Government Measures 1665