Der schwarze Tod im vierzehnten Jahrhundert

What it is

This is the original German-language edition of J. F. C. Hecker's history of the Black Death, published in Berlin in 1832 and dedicated to a fellow physician. Hecker was a professor and member of many European and American learned societies.

Why it matters

Hecker drew on medieval sources to create one of the first systematic medical histories of the Black Death, aimed at doctors and educated non-specialists. The book later influenced historical understanding of the pandemic across Europe through its many translations.

Look closer

• Why would a nineteenth-century doctor want fellow physicians, not just historians, to read this book?
• What does the long list of societies Hecker belonged to suggest about how knowledge traveled in his time?
• How might a book written in German for doctors differ from one written for a general public?