Medical history: antique medicine, the plague, anatomy and surgery.

Fifteen minute section of a programme that includes usage of pictures from the Medical Photographic Library at the Wellcome Trust. This excerpt explains how Black Death spread across the world, from China along the sea-faring routes to Europe, carried by rats. Venice in Italy was particularly badly hit, with one third of the population being wiped out in the space of 6 months in 1348. Religious views of the cause of the plague are covered as well as the contents of a book written by Willhelm Lemnius (sp?) in the 16th century on precautions to take against catching the plague.