Abstract
To the Editor: Langmuir et al. are to be congratulated on their analysis of the plague of Athens (October 17 issue).* The article draws attention to one of the fundamental works on Western civilization, which, unfortunately, is too often ignored outside college history courses. However, I wish to raise several points about their interpretation of Athenian history after the disastrous summer of 430 B.C. There is little doubt that the plague had a terrible effect on the populace of Athens. As the death toll mounted, Athenian public-spiritedness diminished, and “lawless extravagance” became common. “Men now coolly ventured on what they….
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 855-856 |
Number of pages | 2 |
Journal | New England Journal of Medicine |
Volume | 314 |
Issue number | 13 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 27 1986 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine