晚明南直疫灾:“大变迁”下的环境脆弱与社会拯救

在晚明"大变迁"的背景下,南直隶的自然环境和社会环境日趋脆弱,成为了疫灾的高发地区。在时间和空间上,南直隶的疫灾呈现出明显的不平衡性,就发生时间而言,崇祯年间疫灾发生密度最高;在发生地区上,以苏州府、扬州府、应天府、淮安府、凤阳府等地区疫灾暴发次数为多。频繁的疫灾不仅直接危害人民生命安全,甚至会引发严重的经济、政治危机,故而以各级政府为代表的官方力量和以士绅、宗族、医家为主体的民间力量都进行了积极应对,形成了社会性的防疫救灾网络。这些举措包括开仓赈粮、捐赀救济、施医送药、施棺助葬等方面,为当地的疫灾治理做出了重要贡献。

The Plague in Nanzhili During the Late Ming Dynasty: Environmental Fragility and Social Salvation Under the Background of "Great Changes"

Under the background of "great changes" in the late Ming Dynasty, the natural and social environment of Nanzhili was increasingly fragile, and became a high-incidence area of epidemic disasters. In time and space, the epidemic disaster in Nanzhili presented an obvious imbalance. In terms of the occurrence time, the disaster occurred at the highest density during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen. In the occurrence areas, Suzhou Prefecture, Yangzhou Prefecture, Yingtian Prefecture, Huai’an Prefecture, Fengyang Prefecture and other areas had the most outbreaks. Frequent epidemics not only directly threated people’s lives, but also caused serious economic and political crises. Therefore, the official forces represented by governments at all levels and the folk forces with gentry, clans and doctors as the main body responded positively, forming a social network of epidemic prevention and relief. These measures included opening warehouses for food relief, donating money for relief, treating patients, delivering medicine, and offering coffins for burial, etc., which made important contributions to the local epidemic control.