History of epidemics from antiquity to the present day
ellipses| N° d'inventaire | 32623 |
| Format | 16.5 x 24 |
| Détails | 336 p., numerous black and white figs., paperback |
| Publication | Paris, 2025 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782340085558 |
Epidemics are both a formidable test and a revelation of the interactions between people, powers, and societies. Since ancient times, people have been confronted with all sorts of germs and infectious agents that threaten, to a greater or lesser extent, to spread. The principle of contagion was developed very late and, until the 19th century, did not allow for effective control of epidemics. Nevertheless, people remained powerless in the face of risks. They implemented various strategies, such as quarantines, isolation (which we would now call confinements), and controls with health certificates or letters patent. The powers gradually took matters into their own hands at the turn of the Middle Ages and the modern era, with a marked acceleration in the 18th century. The ideals of the Enlightenment for advancing knowledge were decisive. The other major turning point in the fight against epidemics undoubtedly remains the end of the 19th century with the great discoveries of microorganisms and the implementation of vaccines. Medicine subsequently had constantly improved tools, even if all threats could not be eliminated and struck hard in the 20th century with influenza pandemics, for example.
Epidemics are both a formidable test and a revelation of the interactions between people, powers, and societies. Since ancient times, people have been confronted with all sorts of germs and infectious agents that threaten, to a greater or lesser extent, to spread. The principle of contagion was developed very late and, until the 19th century, did not allow for effective control of epidemics. Nevertheless, people remained powerless in the face of risks. They implemented various strategies, such as quarantines, isolation (which we would now call confinements), and controls with health certificates or letters patent. The powers gradually took matters into their own hands at the turn of the Middle Ages and the modern era, with a marked acceleration in the 18th century. The ideals of the Enlightenment for advancing knowledge were decisive. The other major turning point in the fight against epidemics undoubtedly remains the end of the 19th century with the great discoveries of microorganisms and the implementation of vaccines. Medicine subsequently had constantly improved tools, even if all threats could not be eliminated and struck hard in the 20th century with influenza pandemics, for example.