The dystopian tropes in the plague narratives shift our gaze from the presence of professional ethics to the Gothic horror that unfolds subsequently Yet whether it is the Great Plague of London in the year 1665, or the Novel Coronavirus in Mumbai in the year 2020, the rampant spread of the contagion and the associated dread bring into focus the selflessness of the caregivers, namely, the medical and the para-medic staff Comparing the occurrences, one historical, the other still unfolding, this study examines the eery similarities that delineate contagion as metaphor, and the role of doctors in the pandemics The aim is to find out what happens when the doctors stumble – to succumb to fear, to fall prey to diseases that flesh is subject to, or to violate the oath of Hippocrates We intend to scrutinize if like soldiers on the battle-front, these frontline warriors also keep their tryst with death in the line of duty, or does History record otherwise Whether the pestilence be classical or modern, the response of the caregivers is the cornerstone on which any society is grounded The purpose of this study is to evaluate if courage in the face of disaster is still relevant in this age of anxiety, or does self-preservation win against ethics and morality A close reading of Daniel Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year gives us an insight into the timelessness of such issues, especially in a world that is plagued with maladies of its own making © AesthetixMS 2020

中文翻译：

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死在岗位上：瘟疫叙事中的看护人

瘟疫叙事中的反乌托邦比喻将我们的目光从职业道德的存在转移到随后展开的哥特式恐怖然而无论是1665年的伦敦大瘟疫，还是2020年的孟买新型冠状病毒，传染病的蔓延和相关的恐惧使护理人员（即医务人员和辅助医务人员）的无私成为人们关注的焦点 比较事件，一个是历史事件，另一个仍在发生，这项研究检查了将传染病描述为隐喻的惊人相似之处，以及医生在流行病中的作用 目的是找出当医生跌倒时会发生什么——屈服于恐惧，成为肉体所患疾病的牺牲品，或违反希波克拉底誓言 我们打算仔细审查就像前线的士兵，这些前线战士也在执行任务时与死亡保持幽会，或者历史记录是否另有记载 无论瘟疫是古典瘟疫还是现代瘟疫，看护者的反应是任何社会赖以生存的基石 本研究的目的是评估如果面对灾难的勇气在这个焦虑的时代仍然重要，或者自我保护是否能战胜伦理和道德？仔细阅读丹尼尔笛福的《瘟疫年杂志》让我们深入了解这些问题的永恒性，尤其是在一个饱受自身疾病困扰的世界中 © AesthetixMS 2020看护者的反应是任何社会赖以生存的基石 本研究的目的是评估面对灾难的勇气在这个焦虑的时代是否仍然相关，或者自我保护是否会战胜伦理和道德？阅读丹尼尔笛福的《瘟疫年杂志》让我们深入了解这些问题的永恒性，尤其是在一个饱受其自身疾病困扰的世界中 © AesthetixMS 2020看护者的反应是任何社会赖以生存的基石 本研究的目的是评估面对灾难的勇气在这个焦虑的时代是否仍然相关，或者自我保护是否会战胜伦理和道德？阅读丹尼尔笛福的《瘟疫年杂志》让我们深入了解这些问题的永恒性，尤其是在一个饱受其自身疾病困扰的世界中 © AesthetixMS 2020