Peztilentze og blodsot: Et detaljeret blik på pest- og dysenteriepidemierne i Øster Løgum, 1627-29

This study examines Øster Løgum, a rural parish in Slesvig, which experienced outbreaks of first dysentery and then plague in the years 1627-1629. Øster Løgum is an unusual case, because the causes of death were recorded by the local pastor, allowing us to track the course of two epidemic diseases. Historiographically there is a stark contrast between bubonic plague – arguably the most discussed disease in history – and dysentery, which, despite its prevalence, seldom figures prominently in historical narratives. The article examines the spatial and temporal diffusion of both outbreaks at multiple scales in order to compare their impact on the parish population. The epidemiological profiles of the two diseases were markedly different: dysentery affected most villages simultaneously with relatively even mortality, while the impact of plague was temporally and spatially uneven. The plague had a particularly devastating impact on two of the parish’s six villages, resulting in exceedingly high mortality rates. This disparity was also observed at the household level, with the plague, on average, claiming more lives than dysentery in each infected household.