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Mad Dogs, Sad Dogs and the ‘War against Curs’ in London in 1760
Author(s) -
HowardSmith Stephanie
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal for eighteenth‐century studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.129
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1754-0208
pISSN - 1754-0194
DOI - 10.1111/1754-0208.12592
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , outbreak , criminology , history , rabies , event (particle physics) , sociology , economic history , political science , law , media studies , medicine , virology , archaeology , physics , quantum mechanics
On 26 August 1760 the Common Council of the City of London reacted to reports of a rabies outbreak by announcing a two‐month‐long dog cull. Although many Londoners supported this method of halting the spread of the disease, others argued that the killings were excessive or immoral. In mid‐eighteenth‐century Britain sentimental ‘modern’ attitudes were in conflict with traditional beliefs concerning the place of animals. This article argues that the cull exposed this rift in British society's treatment of and relationship with animals, and seeks to position the resultant media event in the context of their shifting status.