Infectious material

VIRGINIA BERRIDGE is intrigued by a look at how various institutions have attempted to halt the spread of transmissible diseases through the centuries

Virginia Berridge

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic was met by much discussion about which methods of control work best. Should other states adopt the severe lockdowns enforced in China? Didn't similar mortality and case numbers eventuate in Sweden, a country that prided itself on not locking down? The debate was never entirely settled and, as time passed, the severe lockdowns of the early phase of the pandemic fell out of favour. Shelagh Ogilvie's book ranges from the 14th century – the era of the Black Death – to the 21st with the aim of providing answers to this conundrum. She identifies six institutions – market, state, community, religion, guild and family – that have played a role in the transmission and control of contagion. Considering each in turn, she aims to…

You're reading a preview of

Bbc History (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.