9 November 2005
"Ring Around the Rosy":
Cultural Impact of Once and Future Plagues
Herbert Swick, M.D., Institute of Medicine and Humanities, St. Patrick's Hospital, Missoula MT
In the Middle Ages, waves of bubonic plague referred to as the Black Death decimated the population and transformed Europe's social, cultural and political institutions. Pandemic disease is a threat in our own time, with potential far-reaching consequences we can barely anticipate. What lessons can the past teach us about future plagues and their impact?