"That Nauseous Venomous Insect:" Bedbugs in Early Modern England

Bedbugs were perceived as a new entry in the rich range of vermin that plagued eighteenthcentury England, and the way they were viewed and treated reveals much about the mentality, prejudices, assumptions and aspirations of society at that time. Their presence increasingly elicited repugnance and even hysteria. The reaction to bedbugs during the eighteenth century serves as an indicator of modernity and emerging attitudes towards the body, class, nature and science.