The Societal Effects of the Eighteenth- Century Shipworm Epidemic in the Austrian Netherlands (c. 1730-1760)

In the 1730s, the Austrian Netherlands (eighteenth century Belgium) faced the devastating effects of the Great shipworm epidemic. Shipworms are marine wood scavenging molluscs that use their shells to eat their way into submerged wood. Due to the changing environmental conditions (temperature, salinity, …) at that time, the shipworm population exploded along the West-European coast. Within a few years the wooden flood protection structures protecting the low-lying Flemish coastal plain were damaged beyond repair. Adoption of new technologies was successful in safeguarding the embankments, but... Mehr ...