Plague Epidemics and the Economy of Intoxicants in Early Modern Amsterdam, Hamburg, London, and Stockholm

Description

Consumption patterns of intoxicants changed in the 17th and 18th centuries in developments that were related to the ‘consumer revolution’, the normalization of new substances, and global changes in production. The consumption of tobacco, opium, and sugar increased in Amsterdam, Hamburg, London, and Stockholm. These cities became key hubs in a global trade of the drugs, facilitating consumption among its populations. At the same time until c. 1725 plague epidemics affected public spaces and rituals of consumption, and affected trade routes and distribution. Both the new intoxicants and ‘traditional’ intoxicants such as alcohol were used by patients as well as the population at large to manage and negotiate the plague. On the basis of the available quantitative and qualitative data this paper assesses consumption patterns in plague years in the four cities, and establishes whether the plague was correlated with significant changes in consumption.

Period	15 Apr 2021
Event title	Renaissance Society of America Virtual 2021 Annual Meeting
Event type	Conference
Degree of Recognition	International