Sofie Vandermarliere 2024
Pandemics in History
1. Introduction: overview, concepts and explanatory
frameworks
1.1 Purpose of Course
Historical overview of the most important pandemics in global human history
How did other scolars study these pandemics? Not only historians, very
interdisciplinary
Covid 19: ball became bigger and bigger, now it does not get bigger anymore (see
ppt)
= not been the most lethal one in the past, not even in the 21st century
HIV: debate if this is a pandemic, associated with specific groups of people
Spanish flu immediatly after the first world war
1.2 Definition: What is a Pandemic?
'pandemic is an epidemic that affects people on a worldwide scale, crosses
international boundaries: epidemic that is global' - Porta
pan = global in greek
What is an epidemic? 'rapidly spreading and infectious disease'
Not the nature of the disease that determines whether something is a pandemic!
Anachronistic label: applied by historians <=> naming conventions in the past
rnot because you have corona that it is a pandemic: the pandemic has ended but the
virus is still around right now
Qualifying something as a pandemic is always a decision! Human decision that is
made by society based on criteria
= Societal decision; not that objective!
1666: several disasters in the same year: pandemic mentioned for the first time
subject of debate: maximalist - minimalist
evidence problem: further back in time = more fragmentary
1
, Sofie Vandermarliere 2024
march 2020 considered as the start of the pandemic: WHO decided that the criteria
were met
1.3 Importance as Historical Events
importance for a pandemic as a historical event: pandemics are mass killers, very high
mortality peaks
comparison between ww1 and spanish flu
-> WW1 caused circa 21 mln deadly casualities
-> Spanish flu 25-50 mln casualities (Great Influenza Pandemic)
Crosby: life expectancy decreased a lot in the US: 51 (1917) -> 39 (1918)
Still much more historical interest in warfare than in pandemics
Called the spanish flu the america's forgotten pandemic: people did not talk about this
flu in the twentieth century anymore
Constant presence of pandemics in pre-20th century history: europeans did not know
a lot of times without pandemics
1.3.1 20th Century
Strong increase in global life expectance (<=> life span)
Beginning 19th century: 29 years, now it’s 73
What had a fundamental impact on life expectancy being so low in the past? up until
the end of the nineteenth century, infant mortality was really high
WHY DID LIFE EXPECTANCY GET HIGHER?
-hygiene: better sanitation
-food more nutricious & diverse
-medical developments & vaccination
Epidemiological Revolution (not only that, health in general improved) = fewer
pandemics
!! false feeling of security! still diseases, bv aids pandemic
how many casualities a pandemic has, has to do with society
Favourable context: increased human traffic: more contact in different parts of
the world
2
Pandemics in History
1. Introduction: overview, concepts and explanatory
frameworks
1.1 Purpose of Course
Historical overview of the most important pandemics in global human history
How did other scolars study these pandemics? Not only historians, very
interdisciplinary
Covid 19: ball became bigger and bigger, now it does not get bigger anymore (see
ppt)
= not been the most lethal one in the past, not even in the 21st century
HIV: debate if this is a pandemic, associated with specific groups of people
Spanish flu immediatly after the first world war
1.2 Definition: What is a Pandemic?
'pandemic is an epidemic that affects people on a worldwide scale, crosses
international boundaries: epidemic that is global' - Porta
pan = global in greek
What is an epidemic? 'rapidly spreading and infectious disease'
Not the nature of the disease that determines whether something is a pandemic!
Anachronistic label: applied by historians <=> naming conventions in the past
rnot because you have corona that it is a pandemic: the pandemic has ended but the
virus is still around right now
Qualifying something as a pandemic is always a decision! Human decision that is
made by society based on criteria
= Societal decision; not that objective!
1666: several disasters in the same year: pandemic mentioned for the first time
subject of debate: maximalist - minimalist
evidence problem: further back in time = more fragmentary
1
, Sofie Vandermarliere 2024
march 2020 considered as the start of the pandemic: WHO decided that the criteria
were met
1.3 Importance as Historical Events
importance for a pandemic as a historical event: pandemics are mass killers, very high
mortality peaks
comparison between ww1 and spanish flu
-> WW1 caused circa 21 mln deadly casualities
-> Spanish flu 25-50 mln casualities (Great Influenza Pandemic)
Crosby: life expectancy decreased a lot in the US: 51 (1917) -> 39 (1918)
Still much more historical interest in warfare than in pandemics
Called the spanish flu the america's forgotten pandemic: people did not talk about this
flu in the twentieth century anymore
Constant presence of pandemics in pre-20th century history: europeans did not know
a lot of times without pandemics
1.3.1 20th Century
Strong increase in global life expectance (<=> life span)
Beginning 19th century: 29 years, now it’s 73
What had a fundamental impact on life expectancy being so low in the past? up until
the end of the nineteenth century, infant mortality was really high
WHY DID LIFE EXPECTANCY GET HIGHER?
-hygiene: better sanitation
-food more nutricious & diverse
-medical developments & vaccination
Epidemiological Revolution (not only that, health in general improved) = fewer
pandemics
!! false feeling of security! still diseases, bv aids pandemic
how many casualities a pandemic has, has to do with society
Favourable context: increased human traffic: more contact in different parts of
the world
2
