DNA sequences from 3 17th century Scottish individuals infected with Yersinia pestis.. The Final Plague Outbreak in Scotland 1644-1649: Historical, Archaeological, and Genetic Evidence.

This paper has several aims: to determine if Yersinia pestis was the causative agent in the last Scottish plague outbreak in the mid-17th century; map the geographic spread of the epidemic and isolate potential contributing factors to its spread and severity; and examine funerary behaviours in the context of a serious plague epidemic in early modern Scotland. Results confirm the presence of Y. pestis in individuals associated with a mid-17th century plague pit in Aberdeen. This is the first time this pathogen has been identified in an archaeological sample from Scotland. The geographic spread of the plague from 1644 through to 1649 is generally, with some key exceptions, restricted to the central lowlands of Scotland. The role of administrative responses to the epidemic in managing its spread and distribution is unclear. Finally, normative funerary practices tended to co-exist with mass burial scenarios. In conclusion, the distribution of the epidemic is arguably a function of population density/distribution, transportation networks, and the chaos associated with the concurrent civil war. Administrative responses to the epidemic likely had a variable, albeit limited, effect in the central lowlands. More peripheral cities, such as Aberdeen, while also employing sophisticated plague prevention measures, were perhaps initially spared simply due to their distance from the central plague belt. It is unclear if a general fear of the dead and contracting the Pest from plague victims can be used to characterise mid-17th century Scottish public opinion. Mass burial appears to have been a practical approach to the logistical problems mass mortality presented, while many instances of normative burial treatment can also be seen.

本研究旨在实现多重核心目标：确认鼠疫耶尔森菌（Yersinia pestis）是否为17世纪中期苏格兰最后一次鼠疫暴发的致病原；绘制本次疫情的地理传播路径，识别影响其传播与严重程度的潜在促成因素；同时考察近代早期苏格兰爆发严重鼠疫疫情背景下的丧葬行为特征。研究结果证实，在阿伯丁一处17世纪中期鼠疫葬坑的出土人类遗骸中检出了Y. pestis，这是该病原体首次在苏格兰的考古样本中被鉴定得到。1644年至1649年间的鼠疫地理传播范围，除少数关键例外情况外，整体局限于苏格兰中部低地地区。行政应对措施对疫情传播与分布的调控作用尚不明确。最后，规范性丧葬习俗往往与集体墓葬场景并存。综上，本次疫情的分布可视为人口密度/分布、交通网络，以及同期内战引发的混乱共同作用的结果。行政应对措施在中部低地地区的效果虽有限，但存在显著变量差异。包括阿伯丁在内的更多外围城市，尽管同样采用了成熟的鼠疫防控手段，最初或许仅因距离中部鼠疫高发带较远而得以幸免。目前尚无法确定，是否可以用对死者的普遍恐惧以及因接触鼠疫感染者而感染疫病的担忧，来概括17世纪中期苏格兰的公众舆论。集体墓葬似乎是应对大规模死亡所带来的后勤难题的务实手段，同时也可观察到诸多符合规范的丧葬处理实例。