
Plague
A Story of Smallpox in Montreal
Michael Bliss(Author)
University of Toronto Press
Published on 3. March 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
372 pages
978-1-0498-0137-7 (ISBN)
Description
In January 1885, as the people of Montreal celebrated one of the greatest winter carnivals of the century, a deadly epidemic inched its way through the city streets. When the case of a railway porter suffering from smallpox was gravely mishandled, what followed was a "carnival of death" causing the preventable demise of over 3,000 Montrealers.
In Plague, historian Michael Bliss uncovers one of the most remarkable untold stories in Canadian history. Crafted through thorough and comprehensive research, Bliss recounts this tale of carnage and humanity in an engaging and vividly detailed format. Now updated with a foreword by infectious diseases expert Gerald A. Evans, this new edition of Plague puts forth an unflinching portrayal of the city of Montreal featuring quack doctors, French-Canadian strongmen, black-robed priests, crusading journalists, Louis Riel, and more.
Bliss depicts how every single death could have been avoided through vaccination even as the epidemic turned people against each other. The book shows how troops had to be called upon to guard smallpox hospitals against anti-vaccination rioters. In an uncanny mirroring of modern day, the whole city of Montreal was quarantined by the rest of North America as a charnel house of disease and death.
Bliss paints a picture of a Montreal routed by divisions and brought to its knees by an epidemic. By bringing to life the last epidemic of smallpox to devastate a city in the Western world, he writes a stark history of life, living, and the human condition. This book is a thriller, a horror story, and a parable about the infectious diseases that have shocked our times.
In Plague, historian Michael Bliss uncovers one of the most remarkable untold stories in Canadian history. Crafted through thorough and comprehensive research, Bliss recounts this tale of carnage and humanity in an engaging and vividly detailed format. Now updated with a foreword by infectious diseases expert Gerald A. Evans, this new edition of Plague puts forth an unflinching portrayal of the city of Montreal featuring quack doctors, French-Canadian strongmen, black-robed priests, crusading journalists, Louis Riel, and more.
Bliss depicts how every single death could have been avoided through vaccination even as the epidemic turned people against each other. The book shows how troops had to be called upon to guard smallpox hospitals against anti-vaccination rioters. In an uncanny mirroring of modern day, the whole city of Montreal was quarantined by the rest of North America as a charnel house of disease and death.
Bliss paints a picture of a Montreal routed by divisions and brought to its knees by an epidemic. By bringing to life the last epidemic of smallpox to devastate a city in the Western world, he writes a stark history of life, living, and the human condition. This book is a thriller, a horror story, and a parable about the infectious diseases that have shocked our times.
Reviews / Votes
"While smallpox has been eradicated, nearly all events that unfolded in Plague have been repeated in similar form in recent years. This is an enduring cautionary tale about the challenges and importance of advancing public health for vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. The cost of failure is often borne by society's most vulnerable. While science is crucial, Bliss's account demonstrates that without proper community engagement and political will, the science will be ineffectual. This is essential reading." - Justin Chan, MD MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases & Immunology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine"This compelling and exceptionally written book about a city and its local government grappling with a preventable and unrelenting pandemic in the face of disinformation, anti-vaccination propaganda, and political tension is timely and relevant today. How Montreal grappled with smallpox in 1885 is fascinating in its own right and has powerful insights as we collectively struggle with our post-Covid society and politics today." - David Miller, former mayor of the City of Toronto and Managing Director, C40 Centre
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
8 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 227 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
485 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0498-0137-7 (9781049801377)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Michael Bliss was a Canadian historian and a university professor emeritus in the Department of History and the History of Medicine Program at the University of Toronto. He was the author of several award-winning books in business and political history as well as the history of medicine, including popular biographies of Sir Frederick Banting, Sir William Osler, and Harvey Cushing. He was an Officer of the Order of Canada, an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the first historian to be inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
Gerald A. Evans is chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases and a professor in the Departments of Medicine, Biomedical & Molecular Sciences, and Pathology & Molecular Medicine at Queen's University. He appeared frequently as a guest and commentator in Canadian media during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gerald A. Evans is chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases and a professor in the Departments of Medicine, Biomedical & Molecular Sciences, and Pathology & Molecular Medicine at Queen's University. He appeared frequently as a guest and commentator in Canadian media during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Content
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Gerald A. Evans
PART I
Chapter One: The Ice Season
Chapter Two: The Dread Disease
Chapter Three: Two Wars
Chapter Four: Rites of Summer
PART II
Chapter Five: "A State of Plague"
Chapter Six: The Wages of Sin
Chapter Seven: Heart of Darkness
Chapter Eight: East End Rebellion
PARTIII
Chapter Nine: Carnival of Death
Chapter Ten: God's Judgments
Chapter Eleven: The Month of the Dead
Chapter Twelve: And Winter Came
Epilogue
Appendix: The Death Count
Endnotes
Sources
Index
Foreword
Gerald A. Evans
PART I
Chapter One: The Ice Season
Chapter Two: The Dread Disease
Chapter Three: Two Wars
Chapter Four: Rites of Summer
PART II
Chapter Five: "A State of Plague"
Chapter Six: The Wages of Sin
Chapter Seven: Heart of Darkness
Chapter Eight: East End Rebellion
PARTIII
Chapter Nine: Carnival of Death
Chapter Ten: God's Judgments
Chapter Eleven: The Month of the Dead
Chapter Twelve: And Winter Came
Epilogue
Appendix: The Death Count
Endnotes
Sources
Index