Details from the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 or the quarantines during the bubonic plague sound familiar today. In this episode, we talk to historians about how past societies dealt with disease, and what happened when a new understanding of germs revolutionized our approach but led us to overlook the larger picture of health A legal historian explains why the U.S. pandemic repose was state-centered. And an English professor looks at the AIDS epidemic, and reflects on the human right to mourn.
Guests
David Barnes, Associate Professor of History and Sociology of Science
Sarah Barringer Gordon, Arlin M. Adams Professor of Constitutional Law and Professor of History
Alexander Chase-Levenson, Assistant Professor of History
Dagmawi Woubshet, Ahuja Family Presidential Associate Professor of English
Host
Alex Schein
Producer
Susan Ahlborn
Editor
Alex Schein
Interviewers
Susan Ahlborn and Jane Carroll
Illustration
Nick Matej
Music
Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C’18
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
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