Pandemic aftermath: historical lessons and future uncertainties
In the latest issue of Artribune Magazine (#59-60), Gilberto Corbellini, a professor at Sapienza University of Rome, explores the effects of pandemics in his essay. He posits that forecasting the post-pandemic landscape is uncertain due to unpredictable factors. Corbellini references historical epidemics, such as the Black Death, which transformed economies and societies, and the 1918-19 Spanish flu, which infected a third of the global population and led to major demographic and economic shifts. He highlights COVID-19's unequal effects on Western nations, straining healthcare systems and possibly increasing mortality from other illnesses. The essay raises concerns about the durability of fundamental rights and warns against emergency power restrictions, stressing that virus control resources rely on freedom of thought and expression.
Key facts
- Gilberto Corbellini teaches history of medicine and bioethics at Sapienza University of Rome
- Corbellini is director of the Museum of the History of Medicine at Sapienza
- The essay was published in Artribune Magazine #59-60
- The Black Death raised real wages and contributed to the decline of feudalism in England
- 16th-century German city plagues enabled reformers to expand urban government roles in schools and social services
- Spanish flu infected about one third of the world population (500 million people)
- Spanish flu deaths estimated between 25 and 80 million, with 2.64 million in Europe
- COVID-19 intensive care units have been available since 1953
- COVID-19 has impacted Western advanced countries more severely
- Remote work may become a new mode for reorganizing tertiary sector activities
Entities
Artists
- Gilberto Corbellini
Institutions
- Sapienza Università di Roma
- Museo di storia della medicina
- Artribune Magazine
- Il Sole 24 Ore
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- England
- Germany
- Sweden
- India
- Europe
- North America