Life In 18th Century Europe

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

wants to survive, “Don’t get pregnant and don’t catch smallpox.” (5) Disease was so rampant during the 18th century that even the rich and powerful could not avoid infection.
One might think that the royalty of the 18th century would rarely catch such deadly diseases, but they did. Disease was a major influence on the aristocracy. During the eighty years between 1695 and 1775 disease killed a tsar of Russia, a king of France, a king of Austria, a queen of England, and a queen of Sweden. Disease many times ended dynasties by killing heirs. In 1700 the Duke of Gloucester died of disease and thus ended England’s Stuart dynasty. (6) One reason that disease was rampant among all classes was the lack of sanitary housing and surroundings.
The spread of disease during the18th in Europe was amplified by scientific ignorance. The scientific community did not embrace the “germ theory”, therefore they did not perceive unsanitary surroundings as dangerous. Cities were littered with ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

CITE THIS PAGE: