They were simply not recognised as such, the Medical Recorders marking them down to other causes of death. There are always many deaths attributed to despair. It has been suggested that the Recorders were negligent, but we feel this would be too simple an answer. At that time we did not know of the polymorphous quality of the plague. Even later on, diagnosis was never straightforward, until the time came when it was all too clear.
Blame lies everywhere.
We can find no value in singling out the Recorders for criticism. O thers started to die. We became uneasy. The dead were fine people, young, healthy people with good credit ratings and defined career paths. Analysis had not identified them as being at risk.