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 Thursday 9.00-9.45am, repeated 9.30pm. |
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Programme details |
Thursday 22 May 2008 |
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Audience reactions to this edition |
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Dave: The Black Death.
I was supprised that the programme did not cover the alternative thesis that the black death was caused by a type of hemoragic fever as I have read about it quite a bit in the last year or so. The main arguments against plague being the carrier are that the simptoms reported do not match those of bubonic plague and that most of europe did not have a rat problem in the middle ages.
Tony Bellows on the Black Death
One significant fact which was omitted by the programme was the major change on the English language. Before the outbreaks of the Black Death, French (or Norman French) was the language of the court and aristocracy, after the Black Death, English was in ascendance. This had significant effects on the administration of the Channel Islands, especially in the Reformation period, when it became almost an independent French speaking Calvinist enclave, but still loyal to England.
Max, Black Death
There was reference to an epitaph to a "John Smith" near Oxford. Does anyone know any more details - a Google search didn't come up with anything.
Paul. Concerning The Black Death (part 2)
As a follow up to my previous e-mail, It seems that Professor Christopher Duncan died in 2005, so I have just been told. Given the wide coverage his work on the Black Death received, and the critical acclaim that followed, I'm amazed we still hear the Black Death mistakenly equated with bubonic plague!
Paul. Concerning The Black Death
I'm a little puzzled. Susan Scott and Christopher Duncan in their book "Return of the Black Death" (Wiley 2004) put forward a compelling case that the Black Death was not bubonic plague but rather a separate ebola-type disease. Certainly, bubonic plague was also around, but the epidemiology of the Black Death was very different and moreover spread to areas which then had no significant rat population (Iceland). The work of the above authors seems to be not well known. Perhaps we should invite them onto the programme sometime to put their case.In Our Time continues to be one of the best programmes on the radio, in my opinion.
Jane - black death.
Well today's programme has brought a certain relativity to my day! In honesty, I wasn't sure I could withstand more death after the recent major loss of life on this 'sitting duck' planet of ours but I'm glad I braved it. Where psyche and biology meet, as they do in the human being, comes a spectrum which is as wonderful as it is bizarre. Biologically speaking, in the dramatic culling, the gene pool was obviously strengthened by the strongest surviving but the discussion today very much showed the enterprise and thus survival of the psyche in dealing with the devastation and terror. The words 'redolent' and 'aids' came to mind as I'm sure they did for many others listening. In England we have the safe ground of 'the weather' to superficially chat about as we go through our day. Such is the place of the intellect in discussing something as unbelievably horrific as today's subject. Even being able to call it a 'subject' helps. Anyway, thanks for handling it so superbly - it was an extremely interesting and thought provoking three quarters of an hour which managed to lead my thinking upwards rather than downwards. I am most certainly glad that I found my metaphorical balls and put the radio on. Thank you once again Melvyn Bragg and company for your excellence.
John Burleigh:Black Death
Dear Melvyn, Please remember to mention the Passionsspiele (Passion play every ten years) at Oberammergau. It has to do with the Black Death.. that is how it started. town promised to put on show every ten years and has done so ever sincekindest regards, John Burleigh
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