« [...] l’ayant secouru jusque a la mort ». Les relations sociales à Marseille en temps de peste (1720-1722)

Abstract

Historiography has almost always emphasized the extreme behaviours of populations in times of epidemics, such as terror, flight, and abandonment. A reading of the judicial procedures produced during the plague in Marseille in 1720–1722, however, provides nuance to this characterization. These documents show how people dealt with bodies and the infection in a variety of ways, developing tactics to ensure they could continue living with plague victims while avoiding contracting the disease. Although physical distancing modified ordinary sociability, care continued throughout the quarantine, both on the part of the carers and the relatives of the sick.