THE CORONAVIRUS continues to cause a horrendous number of fatalities. A further cause for concern is that some countries are suffering much more than others. This article is to examine epidemics from a historical perspective to attempt to understand whether this has always been the case.
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It is generally agreed that the epidemic (later called a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to its worldwide coverage) began in Wuhan, China. The Chinese authorities quickly recognized the value of ālockdownsā to reduce the spread of the disease.
Italy promptly followed China and sadly found that the ratio of fatalities to reported cases and also to total population was extremely high.
China, Italy, Spain, Iran and the US have suffered the most. Other countries are also being affected.
Although WHO labeled the disease a āpandemicā early on, it is clear that the geographical spread is still expanding. This is bad news and means that estimates as to how long the pandemic will cause fatalities will be a year or more, rather than months.
Some politicians, notably US President Donald Trump, have made optimistic pronouncements as to the speed at which the ravages of the pandemic will recede. Now we are hearing about the āflattening of the curveā, meaning that we can soon see a reduction in the severity of the virus.
The next step will be the economic impact. Regeneration of lost jobs will be a major challenge.
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There have been historical examples where a disease which is well-known in one part of the globe as being unpleasant but not the worst scourge imaginable becomes a killer overseas. Smallpox, for example, was a chronic, but not serious, problem in medieval Europe. But when European explorers arrived in the Americas, in the early 1500s, they brought smallpox with them which wreaked unparalleled havoc, decimating the native Americans, and virtually annihilating the hitherto flourishing Aztec civilization. Before the European arrival these two groups comprised 20 percent of mankind. Within a few years the Aztecs and native Americans were reduced to around 3 percent of the worldās population.
Syphilis, āthe Americanās Revengeā, followed a similar career in reverse, facilitated by the return of Columbusā crew. In the Americas it had caused minor skin irritations, but in Europe it killed and disfigured millions. Fatalities included Englandās King Henry VIII, and Pope Julius II.
Nomenclature of diseases often reflects oneās enemies. For many years, syphilis had no official name. Italians, Germans, Poles and English all called it āthe French disease.ā The Neapolitans called it āthe Spanish diseaseā. The Portuguese called it the Castilian disease and the Turks āthe Christian diseaseā.
In 1530, the Italian poet, Girolano Fracastoro composed a poem about a shepherd struck down by the French disease. The shepherdās name was Syphilis. The name and the disease is still with us.
The impact of syphilis was far-reaching. It was responsible for the institution of hand-shaking in place of public kissing.
What will replace hand-shaking?/PN