Via S. Zanobi was farfrom being patrician and had long been closely associated with textile production.
Bacteria are easily trapped in certain textiles and transferred to others who wear the fabrics. This may have been a larger factor in the spread of the plague, depending on how widely these textiles were distributed throughout Europe.
the survival of a rich cross section of records for both mortality and census-type information
This reinforces the idea that the unsanitary conditions that the poor lived in most likely contributed to the spread of the plague.
they no longer desired, or could no longer face, the outside world
It's interesting how the intention of asylums is to treat its patients to be more "sane" so they can re-enter society, but in practice the exact opposite happened and the patients became more sheltered.
anti-homelike quality was inten- tional, because it was widely believed that a marked change of environment was good for patients
This contradicts the argument of smaller asylums that support moral treatment of their patients, but also reminds me of how Kirkbride's asylums encouraged patients to stay out of the bedrooms during the day because the patients have a constant change of environment in both cases.
Radial plans present other more basic problems:
Radial plans sound like they would have very little separation of the sexes (similarly to the quadrangular plan).
nside the asylum, patients spent daytime hours in the day rooms or the ward hallways, but never in their bedrooms.
Maybe this was done as a way of acclimating patients to not being inside their homes (so that they can go back to work once they leave the asylum).
The setback scheme would assist in placing the patients according to severity of disease, with the noisiest ones farthest from the center.
Perhaps this was done so that the noisy patients do not disturb the staff (who are in the center of the building).
sixty patients
Very small amount compared to the maximum amount of patients allowed in an asylum (600). This probably makes it feel more home-like.
The Moral Treatment
This section reminds me of the shift in how patients were treated in the Retreat.
including architecture
This reminds me of how today's hospitals still paint their walls calming colors because they know it affect's the patient's mood.