1/21/0778 – 11/29/0796 - Purification rites began in Japan in the 8th Century during the summer to include prayers for a safe summer free of disease and other misfortune.

In the 8th century A.D., thanks to peace and unity in Iran, medicine and medical practitioners acquired a high status. Jondishapour University of Medical Sciences resumed its activity as the largest center of Iranian Medicine.

The introduction of alchemy to the west came in the 8th Century when the Arabs brought it to Spain. From here it quickly spread to the rest of Europe.

In the 8th century, the Han medicine (Complete Treatise on Medicine) was transmitted to Tibet by the two Tang Princesses Wen-Cheng and Jin-Cheng. Doctors from Tang, India and Nepal were invited to Tibet.

780 AD: The Frankish king Charlemagne encouraged the three-field system of crop rotation in his realms.

1/4/1024 – 12/15/1041 - During this period we have the first written accounts of variolation - the historical practice of inducing immunity against smallpox by “scratching” the skin with the purulency - a localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue - from smallpox skin pustules. It was described by a Buddhist nun practicing around 1022 to 1063. She would grind up scabs taken from a person infected with smallpox into a powder and then blow it into the nostrils of a non-immune person. By the 1700's, this method of variolation was common practice in China, India, and Turkey. Though 2% to 3% of people who were variolated died of smallpox, this practice helped decrease the total number of smallpox fatalities 10-fold.

A medical school that was started in Salerno, Italy in the 900’s became the chief center of medical learning in Europe during the 1000’s and 1100’s.

12/26/1269 – 10/28/1287 - During this period of time there was a major measles epidemic in Iceland.

Leprosy, which was brought by Crusaders in 1095, became the most severe in the 13th Century. The first case of leprosy is recorded in 600 BC.

Though women were excluded from the profession of medicine, in 1276 a Sister Ann is described as a medica at St. Leonard’s Hospital in York, England.

In terms of alchemy, William de Loris wrote Le Roman de Rose in 1282, assisted by Jean de Meung, who also wrote The Remonstrance of Nature to the Wandering Alchemist and The Reply of the Alchemist to Nature. Peter d'Apona, born near Padua in 1250, wrote several books on Hermetic sciences and was accused by the Inquisition of possessing seven spirits (each enclosed in a crystal vessel) who taught him the seven liberal arts and sciences. He died upon the rack.

In 1268, one year prior to Pluto’s entry into Capricorn, Roger Bacon made the first known scientific commentary on lenses for vision correction. Salvino D’Armate of Pisa and Alessandro Spina of Florence are often credited with the invention of spectacles around 1284, but there is no solid evidence to prove this. In 1282 a priest named Nicholas Bullet is alleged to have used spectacles while signing an agreement. In 1306, a monk of Pisa mentioned in a sermon: "It is not yet 20 years since the art of making spectacles, one of the most useful arts on earth, was discovered." But nobody mentioned the inventor. 20 years earlier could potentially take us back to when Pluto was still in Capricorn.

12/24/1515 – 12/11/1532 - Ambroise Pare, a French barber, raised the awareness of the use of massage.

A sweating sickness also called the “English sweate” a mysterious and highly virulent disease struck England and later Europe in a series of epidemics that lasted from 1485 until 1551. There was a major outbreak in 1517. It then apparently vanished. Symptoms were dramatic and sudden; death often occurred within hours. The cause remains unknown.

1518 - The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded through the granting of a charter by Henry VIII to oversee the practice of medicine within a seven-mile radius of the City by licensing recognized physicians.

Smallpox: The origin of smallpox is uncertain, but it is believed to have originated in Africa and then spread to India and China thousands of years ago. The first recorded smallpox epidemic was in 1350 BC during the Egyptian-Hittite war. Smallpox reached Europe between the 5th and 7th centuries and was present in major European cities by the 18th century. Epidemics occurred in the North American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. At one time smallpox was a significant disease in every country throughout the world except Australia and a few isolated islands.

From 1520-1527 millions of native inhabitants of Mexico were wiped out by smallpox. It was unintentionally introduced at Veracruz with the arrival of Panfilo de Narvaez on April 23, 1520 and was credited with the victory of Cortés over the Aztec empire at Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City) in 1521. It killed the Inca ruler, Huayna Capac, as well as 200,000 others and destroyed the Incan Empire. The disease was brought by Cortés when he defeated a group of Spanish who came from Cuba with an African slave who had smallpox.

Major epidemics of smallpox include:

- 1518 – Hispaniola

- 1520 – Mexico

- 1527 – 1530 - Peru

- 1530 – 1531: Measles Epidemic in Mexico and Peru.

Measles and smallpox wiped out 95% of native South Americans in the early 1500's leaving the continent safe for the Spanish to settle with families.

- 1527: Germany – plague epidemic

- 1528 - Sleeping Sickness outbreak throughout Europe.

1/8/1762 – 12/1/1778 - North America experienced a smallpox epidemic from 1775 - 1782. Minor outbreaks had occurred in Boston and nearby towns in 1774. It killed more than 130,000 people. Among the places hard hit were Boston during the British occupation and the American siege of 1775 and the American invasion of Quebec in 1774. The massing of troops during the Revolution contributed to the spread of smallpox. After the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, American troops surrounded Boston in a siege. The local residents were trapped as well as the British army and the smallpox virus for eleven months. The epidemic festered over the summer of 1776 and got worse during the winter months when people were driven indoors for shelter. It ravaged the populations of escaped slaves who fled to the British lines in the South during the Revolutionary War. It may have traveled among the people of the Great Plains.

From 1754-1767 during the French and Indian Wars, British forces in North America distributed blankets that had been used by smallpox patients to Native Americans who collaborated with the French.

- 1765 – Introduction of Homeopathy – The following proponents of homeopathy lived or were born during the time Pluto was in Capricorn.

o Samuel Hahnemann (April 10, 1775 – July 2, 1843) was a German physician who created homeopathy.

o Georg A.H. Muhlenbein (1764 – 1845) called "The Apostle of Homeopathy" in Northern Germany converted many allopaths .

o Matthius Marenzeller, (1765 – 1854) the first to profess the doctrine of homeopathy in Austria.

o Joseph Mueller, (1773 – 1852) the pioneer homeopath in Hungary.

- 1771 – Plague in Moscow, Russia

- 1772 –Measles epidemic in North America

Influenza: Under “Worldwide Pandemics” in the Wikipedia Encyclopedia, 1775 – 1776 is listed for a major flu epidemic.

Yellow Fever: There was an outbreak of yellow fever in 1762. Yellow fever was considered an exotic disease, and there were not many incidents prior to 1793 when the country’s experience with epidemic fevers was dominated predominately by malaria. There was the outbreak in 1762 and earlier in 1741. It was considered a disease of the tropics, and it affected those who voyaged to the West Indies, at that time America's principal partners in trade. In addition, slaves brought from West Africa likely had exposure to the fever there.

Benjamin Rush, a founding father of the United States (December 24, 1745 – April 19, 1813), was the first to recognize the disease as yellow fever. He published the first American textbook on chemistry, several volumes on medical student education and wrote influential patriotic essays. In 1777 he became surgeon-general of the middle department of the Continental Army.

In the ongoing discussion of global warming, many are warning that warmer temperatures will bring tropical diseases like yellow fever and malaria to the north.

- 1767 --King's College establishes a medical school, the first in New York and only the second in the Thirteen Colonies.

- 1769 -- King's awards two BA degrees in medicine at the first commencement of the medical school. In his address to the graduates, Dean Samuel Bard calls for the establishment of what will become New York Hospital.

- 1770 - King's College awards first M.D. degree in the Colonies to Robert Tucker.

- 1771 - New York Hospital, the second in the Colonies after the Pennsylvania Hospital, receives charter from King George III.

- 1775 - King's College faculty member John Jones publishes Plain Concise Practical Remarks on the Treatment of Wounds and Fractures, the first surgical text written by an American to be published in North America.

PART TWO – INGRESS CHARTS

Pluto in Capricorn: 1/28/2008 – 11/19/2024

Pluto first entered Capricorn on Jan 25, 2008. The chart I used is set for Washington DC. The source is Solar Fire Deluxe. The same entry time is given in the Llewellyn date book. I have seen other times for the Pluto Ingress in other astrological sources. If you go back one minute on the times I obtained from both Solar Fire and Llewellyn, Pluto goes back to 29 Sagittarius 59. This is true for both Ingress Charts. So I feel these two Ingress Charts are as close as one can come to the correct time. It is doubtful that an exact time can be found for Pluto’s ingress but given that these times were listed in two sources, I am using them for both Ingress charts. I call the first chart “A Preview of Coming Attractions.” The Uranian planets are used for additional information.

The following formulas were found in the first Pluto Ingress chart: I feel these are what we have to be careful of but not necessarily worry over. And we should not forget when reading of past epidemics of Pluto in Capricorn that except for homeopathy in the 1700’s or the use of herbs throughout history, there was no real defense against disease as there is today. In some cases the Ingress information is probably relevant to the United States (where the angles of the chart are included); in other cases we can assume the information involves the whole world. I used various sources for interpreting the midpoints, formulas and planetary aspects and combinations as well as my own experience in medical astrology. (Sympathy of the Planets by Sylvia Sherman and Jori Frank-Manske, Ebertin’s Combination of Stellar Influences, Phoenix Workshop by Penelope Bertucelli and Rules for Planetary-Pictures by Ludwig Rudolph (Witte-Verlag).

- General Infection: Mars + Neptune – Aries = Pluto. Pluto is 11 ¼° from the Moon and 22 ½º from Saturn.

- Gas Poisoning: Moon + Vulcanus – Neptune = Mercury. Mercury is the ruler of the chart.

- Plague: Neptune + Neptune – Saturn = Sun by conjunction and is semisquare the Moon.

Some midpoint pictures in the chart are as follows:

- Pluto = Sun/Admetos: Changes in the fertility of the soil, a decrease or change of the nourishment.

- Pluto = Moon/Zeus: To start new ways of research.

- Pluto = Sun/Mercury: The growth and circulation of secretions.

Venus is conjunct Pluto. This is sometimes associated with sexually transmitted diseases as well as skin disease. Falling in Capricorn increases the potential for skin disorders as Capricorn is linked with serious skin disorders. Pluto is opposite Hades in an out-of-sign aspect. Pluto is opposite Hades in both charts. It is a symptom of deterioration or decadence, depravity and breakdown as well as toxic illness. In the first chart, Pluto/Hades = Ascendant/MC.

Hades is conjunct the MC. It refers to mental depression. It also means to grieve about conditions in general.

The Moon in Virgo as well as Virgo rising could point to gastrointestinal disorders. Saturn in Virgo could refer to intestinal disorders or parasites. Saturn is in Virgo in both charts. Mars opposite Pluto could be an indicator of massive infection. Mars retrograde conjunct Hades in Gemini could indicate an increase in respiratory disorders, lung disease or possibly air pollution. Perhaps there could be an increase in asthma and pneumonia. Pluto is square the Ascendant (out of sign) and opposite the MC (again out of sign). This could indicate difficult changes in the populous. The mutable effect of the angles receiving hard aspect from Pluto could be another indication of lung disease such as TB. Mercury conjunct Neptune is another indication of the potential for lung disease. Mars retrograde in Gemini could be a return of or a reoccurrence of severe respiratory disorders. Retrograde planets are considered more difficult in medical astrology; mutability can refer to a recurring illness.

Hades, elevated in this chart, can point to hidden illnesses that we are not yet aware of. The Sun sesquiquadrate the Moon can be an indication of lowered vitality or a lack of balance – both emotional and physical. The health of the nation is indicated by the sixth house which has the sign Pisces on the cusp. This can be an indication of rare diseases. So also can the combination of Neptune in Aquarius which rules the sixth house. Uranus in the sixth adds an element of the unusual or weird. Sun sesquiquadrate Mars is another indicator of infectious diseases.

There is the potential for an increase in heart disease as the significators for heart disease – Leo Aquarius fall on the natural fifth house of the heart and the natural 11th house of circulation, again Leo and Aquarius. A stellium of planets in the fifth house in Aquarius emphasizes that house in terms of heart and circulatory disorders and Neptune has a weakening effect. Perhaps there is an increase in heart disease due to the high obesity population in the United States caused by a lax (Neptune) attitude and a false sense of security (Mercury Neptune). Sun Mars in hard aspect is also implicated in heart disease.

The Sun is quincunx Saturn. This can refer to issues involving the elderly. The quincunx is an aspect of adjustment so there could be modifications or new regulations in the health care industry involving persons 65 and over.

Pluto enters Capricorn again on November 26, 2008 at 8:03 pm. Some would say this chart is the final say on Pluto in Capricorn, but I believe the first ingress chart is just as revealing.

In this second chart we find the following formulas:

- Poisoning: Aries + Mars – Neptune = Venus.

- Tropical Fever, Liver Complaints: Aries + Hades – Jupiter = ( by various aspects) Mars, Mercury, the Ascendant and Jupiter

- Dietary Links to Health: Sun + Nodes – Pluto = Venus. Venus is associated with nutrition.

- Epidemics, Mass Sickness, the Science of the Sick Body: Sun + Hades – Apollon = Saturn

- Finding a Cure: Jupiter/Ascendant = Sun (though only by semi-square it includes two personal points)

Plagues:

- Saturn + Neptune – Aries = Nodes

- Plagues, Epidemics and Losses at Sea: Neptune + Neptune – Saturn = Ascendant

- Pestilence: Aries + Neptune – Saturn = Venus

- Diseases of the Lungs, Pneumonia: Saturn + Neptune – Jupiter = Ascendant by square and Mercury and the Sun by semisquare

- Pluto/Hades = Sun/Ascendant. Sun Ascendant means the relation to the body. Pluto Hades can refer to sickness from toxins.

The Moon is closely quincunx Hades. This is associated with poor women, stomach trouble and malfunctioning glands. It also refers to a diseased womb or breast. Saturn is quincunx Neptune. The quincunx is sometimes described as an aspect of health and work. Saturn Neptune is a health axis and the combination can refer to bone disease, pestilence and disease in general.

There is a stellium in Sagittarius in the fifth house. The fifth house is associated with pleasure and Sagittarius with sports. There may be an increase in sporting accidents especially with Mercury conjunct Mars -- taking chances, speeding, and carelessness in general. Sagittarius also rules horses and gunshot wounds. Accidents involving horses may increase as well as the incidents of gunshot wounds. Mars sesquisquadrate to the Ascendant adds the element of accidents, hastiness, competition and anger.

I mentioned obesity in the first Ingress Chart. Venus conjunct Jupiter in the second Ingress Chart could also contribute to obesity as it can be an indulgent and lazy combination. It combines the planet ruling sugar (Venus) with the planet ruling fat (Jupiter). Perhaps Pluto falling in the sixth house of this chart indicates time for a change in the health habits of the nation as a whole.

On a more positive note, in a piece dated February 1, 2008, a headline in the New York Times stated: “Nets and New Drug Make Sharp Inroads Against Malaria.” The article cited a report from the World Health Organization on how the widespread distribution of mosquito nets and a new medicine sharply reduced malaria deaths in several African countries.

It should be noted that this article and the interpretation of the two Pluto Ingress charts is skewed toward health thus giving it a somber tone. There are many other interpretations for these charts in terms of politics, financial affairs, culture, etc. At least there is one positive midpoint in terms of health: Finding a cure: Jupiter/Ascendant = the Sun which already began to manifest the very week Pluto first entered Capricorn in reference to the positive gains made against malaria. We can only hope and assume there will be more positive gains in terms of other deadly diseases.

Diane L. Cramer is a consulting astrologer, lecturer and teacher in all aspects of astrology in New York City. She specializes in writing and instructing on medical astrology and nutrition.

She is the author of HOW TO GIVE AN ASTROLOGICAL HEALTH READING (AFA), DICTIONARY OF MEDICAL ASTROLOGY (AFA), and MANAGING YOUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS (Llewellyn).

Diane has masters and post-masters degrees in Education from Hunter College in New York City and a BA in English, Speech and Journalism from the University of Florida. She is certified Level IV by the NCGR. Diane is a member of the education faculty of the NCGR in New York City and has published articles on medical astrology in both the NCGR Journal and the AFA Bulletin as well as the Uranian Journal of the Uranian SIG. She has also been featured in Dell Horoscope.

For more information see her website: dianecramer.com or email her at astroldiane@yahoo.com.