Historical Lessons from the Pandemics

Abstract

History of plagues are history of mankind. Their cumulative effects on societies, living and working styles, institutions, urbanization, education, and health policies are huge. We have a rich literature on that throughout the whole history. Conquest and colonization of Americas annihilated the Indian culture mostly by the effects of epidemics. Devastating results of big Russian cholera epidemic helped form a convenient social disorder leading to Soviet Revolution. History has full of lessons about the effects of recurrent pandemics on human evolution. The first recorded use of bioweapons was the use of victims of plague cadavers during the Siege of Caffa by Khan Janibek’s army of Golden Horde. But after that, use of germs or biological agents for mass destruction fairly developed. There are many signals toward the use of bioweapons for warfare in the future, surely more sophisticated ways than the methods of the near past. In the days of the current pandemic, people experienced the personal drama of quarantine, social isolation, and death. Reminisces of old days of big plagues have long been forgotten. From climatic change to deforestation of lands, a number of factors, together with enormous exploitation of earth’s resources, resulted in biological turmoil. But this is not the end; it is only just the beginning. The effects of climatic change with huge environmental pollution and growing shortage of clear water sources began to promote mass migrations already. It is not a surprising fact that these factors are forming a big reservoir for future pandemics.