HISTORY. Like all the cities of France and Navarre, Langres has not been spared from epidemics over the centuries. The most important was obviously the plague of the 1630s, fought in particular by a certain Jeanne Mance.
After the Langres hospitals (see daily jhm of December 29, 2024), let's take an interest in the epidemics that they have had to treat over the centuries. The city of Diderot was obviously not spared, whether the health danger was national or local. The biggest epidemic to hit Langres was, without doubt, that of the plague of the 1630s.
A first occurred at the end of 1632, in two streets: rue Sainte-Barbe (current rue Tassel) and that of Petit-Cloître. It was, however, quickly brought under control, notably thanks to Hubert Jacob, surgeon from Anrosey, who supervised the fight against the disease. The situation was, however, much more dramatic during the second epidemic, which raged from 1635 to 1638.
No less than 5,500 deaths have been reported in three years, despite the efforts of all doctors and caregivers, including a certain Jeanne Mance, who works as best she can to comfort the sick. A pestarium was created in Saint-Sauveur, in the suburb of Brevoines. The Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Amâtre hospitals are back in service to try to deal with the most pressing needs. Over the months, the city's notables tried to protect themselves by signing prioritization contracts with doctors and surgeons. Sometimes in vain: the mayor Jean-Baptiste Blondel was, for example, overcome by illness despite the arrangements he had made for himself… The plague was finally overcome in 1638.
Other epidemics, of lesser magnitude, subsequently struck the Langrois, such as scarlet fever in 1801, cholera in 1849 then 4854, or even typhoid fever in 1927.
N. C.
