Die Pest als „die“ Pandemie der Weltgeschichte in der Geschichtsschreibung

Bacteria and parasites are constant companions of humankind. Usually, they are harmless. When they turn against their hosts, however, they become harbinger of diseases. It seems to be a paradox of history that diseases and their global spread may be seen as indicators for the process of civilisation. We investigate this phenomenon from two angles: the so-called Black Death and leprosy. After a short general introduction by Martin Uhrmacher and Thomas Kolnberger, the latter presents the globalization of “the plague” in three historical waves. Michel Pauly then scrutinizes the impact the second wave had in the fourteenth century on the region of today’s Luxembourg. In the last part, Martin Uhrmacher introduces leprosy, its social consequences and the history of its perception.