A Journal of the Plague Year Part 3

In which the city, struck by the dread of the plague, wrought a sombre transformation upon its gaieties and diversions, and the common people, in their terror, fell prey to both quack remedies and superstitious charms, revealing the depths of human fear and folly. Meanwhile, the magistrates, guided by grave prudence, instituted strict regulations for identifying and isolating the infected, appointing officers to enforce the shutting up of houses and care for the afflicted, in a measured effort to curb the contagion’s spread.