The plague of Athens or Thucydides' plague occurred in 429 BC. e., and in the winter of 427/426 BC. BC (detailed description of a witness who himself suffered this disease).
The epidemic killed about a quarter of the city's population (about 30 thousand people). Pericles was among the victims of the epidemic. The fear of illness was so great that even the Spartans canceled the invasion of Attica. Analysis by medical historians showed that it was a combination of typhoid and measles. It affected the soldiers and citizens of Athens alike. Ironically, the highest mortality rate was observed among doctors, as the disease proved to be extremely contagious.
… The enemies were only a few days in Attica, when the first signs of a contagious disease appeared in Athens, which, as they say, had already flared up in many places, especially in Lemnos and in other places. But never before had the plague struck so lightning fast and with With such force and in the memory of people, nowhere else did it take away so many human lives. Indeed, the doctors who were treating the disease for the first time, not knowing its nature, could not help the sick and themselves became the first victims of the infection, since they most often had to come into contact with the sick. All other human remedies were powerless against the disease as well. All prayers in churches, appeals to oracles and soothsayers were in vain. Finally, people, broken by the calamity, completely abandoned hopes of salvation.
48. For the first time, the disease is said to have started in Ethiopia, over Egypt. From there it spread to Egypt, Libya and most of the possessions of the Persian king. Quite suddenly the disease broke out in Athens too; the first cases of the disease appeared among the population of Piraeus (the inhabitants of Piraeus even started a rumor that the Peloponnesians were poisoning the cisterns; after all, then there were no wells in Piraeus) 2. Later, the disease also spread to the upper city, and then many more people began to die. I leave it to everyone (be it a doctor or a person who is not versed in medicine) to judge this misfortune, that is, about the probable causes of its occurrence and why such amazing changes in health were its consequence. I will only say how this disease arose, and I will describe its manifestations, so that, based on this, if it reappears,it could be recognized. I myself suffered from this disease and observed its course in others.
49. In this year, before the outbreak of general disease (admittedly), there were almost no other diseases in the city. If someone previously suffered from some kind of ailment, then now everything turned into one this disease. Others, who were completely healthy until that time, suddenly developed a strong fever in their heads, redness and inflammation of the eyes, for no external reason. The inside of the pharynx and tongue immediately became blood-red, and the breath became intermittent and fetid. Immediately after these phenomena, the patient began to sneeze and wheeze, and after a while the disease passed to the chest with a strong cough. When the disease penetrated the abdominal cavity and stomach, nausea and bile secretion of all varieties known to doctors began, with vomiting, accompanied by severe pain. Most of the patients suffered from a painful urge to hiccup2, which caused severe convulsions. And in some it was observed after weakening of vomiting, while in others it continued later. The patient's body was not too hot to the touch and not pale, but with some kind of reddish-bluish tinge and covered, like a rash, with small purulent blisters and abscesses. Inside, the heat was so great that the patients could not bear even the thinnest blankets, muslin capes or anything like that, and they could only lie naked, and the most pleasant thing was to plunge into the cold water. Tormented by an unquenchable thirst, the sick, left unattended, threw themselves into the wells; no matter how much they drank, it did not bring relief. In addition, the patient suffered all the time from anxiety and insomnia. During the acute period of the disease, the body did not weaken, but beyond expectation it resisted the disease,so that death occurred either in most cases from internal fever on the ninth or seventh day, when the patient was not yet completely exhausted, or, if the body overcame the crisis, the disease passed into the abdominal cavity, causing ulceration of the intestines and severe diarrhea; most often people died from weakness caused by this diarrhea. So the disease, the focus of which was originally in the head, then spread from top to bottom throughout the body. And if someone survived, then the consequence of the illness was the defeat of the limbs: the disease even affected the genitals and fingers and toes, so that many survived, having lost these parts, and others even became blind. Some, having recovered, completely lost their memory and did not recognize themselves or their relatives.if the body overcame the crisis, then the disease passed into the abdominal cavity, causing intestinal ulceration and severe diarrhea; most often people died from weakness caused by this diarrhea. So the disease, the focus of which was originally in the head, then spread from top to bottom throughout the body. And if someone survived, then the consequence of the illness was the defeat of the limbs: the disease even affected the genitals and fingers and toes, so that many survived, having lost these parts, and others even became blind. Some, having recovered, completely lost their memory and did not recognize themselves or their relatives.if the body overcame the crisis, then the disease passed into the abdominal cavity, causing intestinal ulceration and severe diarrhea; most often people died from weakness caused by this diarrhea. So the disease, the focus of which was originally in the head, then spread from top to bottom throughout the body. And if someone survived, then the consequence of the illness was the defeat of the limbs: the disease even affected the genitals and fingers and toes, so that many survived, having lost these parts, and others even became blind. Some, having recovered, completely lost their memory and did not recognize themselves or their relatives.then spread from top to bottom throughout the body. And if someone survived, then the consequence of the illness was the defeat of the limbs: the disease even affected the genitals and fingers and toes, so that many survived, having lost these parts, and others even became blind. Some, having recovered, completely lost their memory and did not recognize themselves or their relatives.then spread from top to bottom throughout the body. And if someone survived, then the consequence of the illness was the defeat of the limbs: the disease even affected the genitals and fingers and toes, so that many survived, having lost these parts, and others even became blind. Some, having recovered, completely lost their memory and did not recognize themselves or their relatives.
50. The unusualness of this disease, exceeding any means of expression, manifested itself not only in the fact that the disease struck people with such a force that human nature could not bear, but also in the fact that, unlike everything previously observed, birds and four-legged animals those who feed on human corpses did not touch the corpses at all (although many of the deceased remained unburied) or, having touched them, perished. This is evident from the fact that such birds have completely disappeared: they were not seen anywhere at all, and not only near unburied corpses. On dogs, the effect of the disease was even more clearly revealed, since they live with people.
51. These were, in general, the main signs of this disease, if not to talk about some deviations in individual cases. There were no other common illnesses at that time. As soon as some other disease appeared, in the end it turned into this one. People died the same way in the absence of care, and when they were well treated. No remedy helped against this disease: what was beneficial for some, harmed others. The disease struck everyone, both strong and weak, without distinction in lifestyle. However, the most terrible thing in all this disaster was the discouragement: as soon as someone felt unwell, for the most part he fell into complete despondency and, no longer resisting, became a victim of the disease; therefore people died like sheep, getting infected from each other. And this extreme infectiousness of the disease was just the main cause of the general mortality. When people, for fear of infection, avoided visiting the sick, they died in complete loneliness (and indeed, people died out whole houses, since no one looked after them). And if someone visited the sick, then he fell ill himself: there were still people who, not sparing themselves out of a sense of honor, visited the sick, when even relatives, exhausted by the continuous mourning of the dying, in the end completely despair and retreated in front of a terrible misfortune. Most of all, people showed concern for the sick and dying people who themselves had already suffered the disease, since they knew its course, and they considered themselves safe from secondary infection. Indeed, the disease did not strike anyone a second time. Therefore, those who recovered were extolled as the lucky ones,and for them the joy of recovery gave rise to the hope that now no other disease would be fatal for them.
52. This disaster that befell the Athenians was aggravated by the influx of refugees from all over the country, and the newcomers especially suffered from the disease. There were not enough dwellings: in the summer they had to live in stuffy temporary shacks, which caused people to die in complete disorder. The dying lay on top of each other, where they were overtaken by death, or lay in the streets and by the wells, half-dead from thirst. The sanctuaries themselves, along with the temple sites where the refugees sought shelter, were full of corpses, as people died there too. After all, people broken by misfortune, not knowing what to do, lost respect for divine and human laws. All the old funeral customs were now completely disregarded: each buried his deceased as best he could. At the same time, some even reached the point of shamelessness, for lack of funds (since they had previously had to bury many relatives). Others put their dead on other people's fires and set them on fire before the people who set the fires had time to approach; others piled the bodies they brought with them on top of the already burning fires, and left.
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53. And in general, with the appearance of the plague in Athens, lawlessness began to spread more and more. Actions that were previously only done secretly were now done with shameless frankness. Indeed, before our eyes, the fate of people suddenly changed: one could see how the rich died and how people, who had nothing before, immediately took possession of all their goods. Therefore, everyone rushed to sense gratification, believing that both life and wealth are equally transient. No one wanted to sacrifice oneself1 for the sake of a beautiful goal, because he did not know if he would die before he could reach it. Pleasure and everything that somehow could serve him was considered useful and beautiful in itself. Neither the fear of the gods, nor the human law could no longer keep people from crimes, since they saw that everyone perishes in the same way and therefore is indifferent,whether to honor the gods or not. On the other hand, no one was sure that they would live to see the time when they would be punished for crimes according to the law. After all, a much more serious judgment of fate was already hanging over his head, and, while it had not yet been fulfilled, a person naturally wanted to at least somehow enjoy life.
54. Such was the calamity that oppressed the Athenians: within the walls of the city, the people perished from illness, and the land was ravaged by enemies. It is not surprising that in such trouble, the old people remembered the verse, which, according to them, was announced in ancient times by the oracle: Dorian warfare will break out, and the plague will follow with it. / Then, among the Athenians, disputes began about whether the word limoz (hunger) stood in the ancient prophecy instead of loimoz, (pestilence, plague). Under the circumstances of the time, as expected, the opinion gained the upper hand that the verse contained loimoz (pestilence, plague). After all, people tried to adapt their memories to the disasters they experienced. It seems to me that if after this war there is some other Dorian war, and at the same time there is a famine, then people will probably interpret this verse in this sense. Others also recalled the oracle's answer to the Lacedaemonians when asked,should they fight: "If they wage the war with all their might, they will win, and God himself will help them", And then they came to the conclusion that the oracle's prediction was justified in the course of events. After all, the plague appeared just after the invasion of the Peloponnesians, but did not penetrate into the Peloponnese (at least, there its outbreak was very weak). The disease spread mainly in Athens, and then in other densely populated areas2. That's what I had to say about the plague. "and then in other densely populated areas2. That's what I had to say about the plague. "and then in other densely populated areas2. That's what I had to say about the plague."
From the book: "History of the Peloponnesian War", Thucydides.