Book Review: The Great Plague Scare of 1720: Disaster and Diplomacy in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World by Cindy Ermus.

"The Great Plague Scare of 1720: Disaster and Diplomacy in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World" by Cindy Ermus explores the impact of the plague outbreak in Marseilles in a transnational and transoceanic perspective. The book argues that the 1720 plague marked the beginning of centralized disaster management, challenging the traditional narrative of the disease's origin. It examines the reactions and measures taken in different locations, including Italy, Great Britain, Spain, and the French and Spanish colonies in the Atlantic World. The book provides a wide range of arguments and will be of interest to historians studying public health, commerce, and politics in the eighteenth-century maritime powers. [Extracted from the article]