Dr Ria Lina

Wow.

Listen, just the fact they lived that long in the 1500s is impressive.

There were people in their 80s and 90s.

That's true.

I mean, actually, there were quite a few people that lived to 70s and 80s in the 1800s.

That's interesting.

So all of those things suggest that they thought it was communicated through touch rather than what it was once someone was infected, which was through the air.

Yeah.

That's why there were those masks with the big noses, the big hooked noses that physicians would wear, which were quite scary.

But at the end of the nose, they put a little bouquet so that they could not... But they hardly ever wear them.

And therefore, Edinburgh, because of the strong connections between Italy and Scotland.

So Italy and Scotland had a great relationship going on before the English came in.

Well, before Elizabeth died and then James took over England, is how I like to phrase it.

LAUGHTER

And so there was a really strong medical connection between Italy and Scotland.

So you see that more in the Scottish plague.

That's interesting.

You did in England.

But possible.

Oh, OK.