“Plague, Pestilence and Pandemic: Voices from History” by Peter Furtado examines pandemics through the ages. The book also examines how history can teach us that what we are going through is nothing new.
The book is not recommended for the faint of heart. Furtado, a historian, collected essays from observers or doctors recording what they saw during times of plague.
The author writes that history can offer us insights as we traverse this time of disruption and social distancing amid the current COVID-19 crisis.
What did I learn from reading this?
- Plagues follow mass movements of people. They often occur in times of war, when armies are moving from one place to another. The soldiers bring back infections from distant shores or deserts. Plagues can also occur during times of globalization, when trade routes crisscross the Mediterranean and extend as far as Afghanistan.
- Quarantine and social distancing were also implemented. The wealthy have always fled the cities and gone to country estates in times of plague.
- Huge, overcrowded cities were hit the hardest, at least at the onset of a plague. Notable plagues include: Athens in 430 BCE (either smallpox or typhus), Rome in the 165 AD (Black Death), London in 1665 ( Black Death again).
Some historical highlights:
The Black Death that struck Europe in 1347 inspired a children’s song still heard today. “Ring around the rosies, pockets full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down.” Posy, a flower, was supposed to protect you from the plague.
The plague was endemic in Asia and had already killed millions when it was carried from Asia to Italy with the invasion of the Mongol armies. From Italy. it spread to the rest of Europe. The plague was carried on bales of wool or carried on ships from place to place. As much as a third or even half of the population was lost.
Furtado writes the high death rate led to greater freedom for serfs in Europe to a lack of workers. The plague “led to greater social fluidity and eventual long-term reduction in serfdom.”
Other plagues of historical import include ones on American soil. Christopher Columbus and other explorers brought smallpox to the New World in 1492. The disease killed millions of the native population, who had no prior exposure to smallpox and no immunity. Smallpox made the conquest of the Aztec and Mayan empires that much easier, given that a large percentage of the native population had died.
What does this historical overview teach us? One very important lesson is humility. Before COVID-19, we may have been smug about our level of technical expertise, perhaps thinking we are too clever and scientifically advanced to have to worry about bacteria and viruses anymore.
However, COVID-19 has shown us that we are vulnerable to deadly pandemics, just as our ancestors were.
Dr. Janet Tamaren 