275 years since the epidemic of plague in Cluj: Dr. Alexandru Lenghel’s contribution to its investigation

Plague is one of the most impressive diseases in the cultural history of mankind. Its lethality has influenced the evolution of society and it is frequently represented in fine arts and literature. The principality of Transylvania was also affected by this infection, the plague having strongly impacted both economic and social development. Between 1738 and 1739 an important plague epidemic spread in Transylvania. The authors introduce and discuss a less known work on this epidemic, with focus on its impact on the city of Cluj - a book written in 1930 by Dr. Alexandru Lenghel, who later became a target of political persecution during the Stalinist period, while his work entered a cone of shadow.