the plague. Eyam Hypothesis The "Eyam Hypothesis" is a medical theory named after the village's contribution to containing the spread of the plague through self-isolation. It has been proposed in the recent discussion over whether observed isolationary behaviour in sickness among vertebrates is the result of evolution or of altruism and still awaits validation. Plague literature Poems The Village of Eyam: a poem in four parts by John Holland, Macclesfield, 1821 "Eyam Banks", an anonymously authored lyric that accompanied an account of the plague published in 1823. The Desolation of Eyam by William and Mary Howitt, London, 1827 "Cucklet Church", a poem that accompanied a description of Eyam and its history by the prolific Sheffield author Samuel Roberts. The Tale of Eyam, a story of the plague in Derbyshire, and other poems by an OLD BLUE, London, 1888. A Moral Ballad of the Plague of Eyam by Francis McNamara (1884–1946). This was published as an Irish broadside in 1910. In his poem "Lockdown" (2020), written during the COVID-19 pandemic, Simon Armitage draws a parallel at the start with the voluntary quarantine of the inhabitants of Eyam. Fiction "Riley Grave-Stones: a Derbyshire story", published under a pseudonym in The London Magazine for January – June 1823. An account of the plague in Eyam and the encounter between the author and a granddaughter of one of the victims, it is prefaced by lines purporting to come from a poem titled "The Plague of Eyam" and also contains the lyric "Eyam Banks". The Brave Men of Eyam – a tale of the great plague year by Edward N. Hoare, SPCK, 1881. God and the Wedding Dress by Marjorie Bowen, Hutchinson, 1938. A Parcel of Patterns by Jill Paton Walsh, a novel for young adults, Puffin Books, 1983. Children of Winter by Berlie Doherty, a fantasy novel for children, published by Methuen, 1985;adapted for television 1994. The Naming of William Rutherford by Linda Kempton, a fantasy novel for children, published by Heinemann, 1992. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, published by Fourth Estate, 2001. Black Death by M. I. McAllister, children's fiction, Oxford University Press, 2003. Kiss of Death by Malcolm Rose, a thriller for young adults, published by Usborne Publishing, 2006. TSI: The Gabon Virus by Paul McCusker and Walt Larimore, M.D., Christian suspense fiction, published by Howard Books (USA), 2009. Eyam: Plague Village by David Paul, Amberley Publishing, 2012. The Hemlock Cure