[en] Toulon has always experienced epidemics. Such was the case in 1348, 1581, 1587 and 1664 hence the setting up of boards of health in Marseilles and Toulon. The latter boasted one as early as 1576. A lazaretto was established in Lagoubran, west of Toulon. It was supposed to have allowed ships to berth in a shelter until their quarantine had come to an end but that lazaretto was more of a place where people were left to die than a medical care institution. The plague of 1720-1721 gave proof of it. In early October 1720, the first cases of plague appeared in Toulon. By mid October, there were the first dead. In February 1721 the dead filled a fifty-body tip cart on a daily basis. In March, two tip carts became necessary to get rid of corpses : one hundred people died every day. The Navy planned its safety zone and made an original decision since it decided to confine the "young ones", that is the navy guards to "the King's Garden". All of them were to survive except for one Muscovite who had been sent to Toulon by Peter the Great and had recklessly left the "King's Garden". In April, four daily tip carts proved to be necessary: sadly, there were two hundred and seventy dead by April 30th. In early May, eight tip carts became indispensable: there were four hundred dead each day. The epidemic then reached its peak. Remedies were looked for but to no avail. A few galley slaves and a few ladies of the night were hanged to try and exorcize evil. Here, a Capuchin friar read repeated sermons. There, the Bishop of Toulon vowed Toulon to the Sacred Heart. On May 10th, the quarantine ("serrade") was lifted. On October 30th, a Te Deum gathered the survivors: roughly 10 000 inhabitants out of 25 000. The plague was a real catastrophe both demographically and culturally speaking. A great deal of "know-how" had been taken away. Toulon was at a very low ebb: its trade was ruined; its crafts had collapsed. The ruin was both moral and economic. Forty years elapsed before the population of Toulon was able to recover the numbers of 1720 which had been decimated by the plague.

[fr] Toulon connaît les épidémies depuis toujours : 1348, 1581, 1587, 1664. D'où la création de Bureaux de Santé à Marseille et Toulon, ce dernier dès 1576. Celui-ci instaura à Lagoubran – à l'ouest de Toulon –, un lazaret qui devait permettre de faire accoster les bateaux dans un abri jusqu'à la fin de leur mise " en quarantaine " ; néanmoins ce lazaret fut plus un mouroir qu'un établissement de soin. La peste de 1720-1721 le prouva. Début octobre 1720, les premiers cas de peste apparaissent à Toulon. Mi-octobre, les premiers morts. En février 1721, les morts remplissent un tombereau quotidien : cinquante places. En mars, deux tombereaux deviennent nécessaires pour évacuer les cadavres : cent morts par jour. La Marine organise son périmètre de sécurité et prend une décision originale puisqu'elle décide d'enfermer les " jeunes ", c'est-à-dire les gardes de la marine au " Jardin du Roi ". Tous survivront à l'exception d'un Moscovite, envoyé à Toulon par Pierre le Grand, et imprudemment sorti du " Jardin du Roi ". En avril, quatre tombereaux quotidiens s'avèrent nécessaires : deux cent soixante et dix morts sont à déplorer pour le 30 avril. Début mai, huit tombereaux quotidiens deviennent indispensables : quatre cents morts quotidiens. L'épidémie culmine. En vain, on cherche des remèdes. On pend quelque galérien et quelques filles de joie pour tenter d'exorciser le mal. Ici, un capucin multiplie les prêches. Là, l'évêque de Toulon voue Toulon au Sacré-Coeur. Le 10 mai, la " serrade " est levée. Le 30 octobre, un Te Deum réunit les survivants : environ 10 000 habitants sur 25 000. La peste fut une vraie catastrophe ; démographique, culturelle, quantités de " savoirs " ayant été emportés. Toulon est au plus bas : le commerce ruiné, l'artisanat en déroute. La ruine est autant morale qu'économique. Il fallut attendre quarante années pour que la population toulonnaise " récupère " ses effectifs de 1720 décimés par la peste.