A Short Discourse Concerning Pestilential Contagion, and the Methods to Be Used to Prevent It

In the spring of 1720 a physician was summoned to advise a senior British minister on how to guard the kingdom against the looming threat of plague. The resulting pamphlet reads like a polite petition, blending deference with urgent scientific observation. It frames the danger in terms of air, infected people, and contaminated goods, and sets the stage for a systematic defense.

Mead surveys the climate patterns of Europe, Africa and the East, arguing that heat, humidity and stagnant air create the perfect breeding ground for disease. He then outlines practical steps—quarantine stations, proper burial, ventilation of public houses—and contrasts English habits with those of continental neighbors. Listeners will hear a vivid snapshot of early modern public‑health reasoning, reminding us how the battle against invisible microbes has long shaped policy and daily life.