Get Well Soon Summary

“What truly matters in combating disease is a mix of care, understanding, and willingness to learn from history. So, what can past pandemics teach us about addressing the medical crises of today?”

1. Dancing Plagues Show the Power of Community in Healing

In the sixteenth century, people in Strasbourg faced an unusual affliction: the "dancing plague." It began with one woman dancing uncontrollably in the streets and soon spread to others, creating a bizarre and harrowing scene of human exhaustion and even death.

The local leaders believed it to be divine punishment, implementing restrictions like banning gambling and prostitution. Yet, the situation escalated and resulted in fatalities from heart failure, dehydration, and infections. Eventually, sufferers were taken to a shrine dedicated to Saint Vitus. They were given symbolic red shoes anointed with holy oil, and many returned to normal behavior after this ritual.

Although the ritual appeared effective, the actual cure was likely rooted in the community care and attention placed on the afflicted. Rather than medical treatment, it was the collective concern and removal of stigma that helped individuals recover.

Examples

• The afflicted began to recover after being cared for at a Saint Vitus shrine.
• Community support played a role when faith-based cures were applied.
• Leaders’ initial response of banning city activities failed to address the issue.

2. Misunderstanding the Plague Led to Odd Remedies

When the bubonic plague swept through Europe in waves, people were desperate for cures. Bubonic plague first produced painful boils before causing fever and often death. Roughly 30% of Europe’s population succumbed. Yet, people’s ignorance of its bacterial cause led to bizarre treatments.

Some believed spending time in sewers would fortify them against the plague because they thought exposure to filth might create immunity. Others recommended eating vegetables, mistakenly thinking the clean smell of fresh produce might prevent illness. A few physicians, like Nostradamus, advocated proper hygiene and clean clothing—practices that likely helped prevent the fleas carrying the deadly bacteria.

Despite some good advice like Nostradamus’s, many distrusted cleanliness due to the belief that bathing opened pores to dangerous diseases. This distorted thinking slowed genuine progress toward understanding and preventing the plague.

Examples

• Living in sewers was wrongly believed to make bodies resistant to plague.
• Nostradamus encouraged regular bathing, a rare recommendation at the time.
• Vegetables were championed not for nutrition, but to ward off bad smells.

3. Smallpox Paved the Way for Vaccination

Smallpox devastated indigenous societies while aiding European colonial conquest. When the Spanish arrived in the Americas, a diseased sailor introduced smallpox, which wiped out millions across the continent. The Incas, for example, were so debilitated that their empire was conquered by Francisco Pizarro and just 168 Spaniards.

By the eighteenth century, English doctor Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine. Observing that milkmaids who contracted cowpox—a milder disease—seemed immune to smallpox, Jenner created a method to transfer this immunity to others. His groundbreaking work eventually eradicated smallpox globally by the late twentieth century.

This example underscores how scientific discovery can succeed where devastation once prevailed, though it came too late for many native populations.

Examples

• Smallpox rapidly destroyed the Incan civilization, leaving them defenseless.
• Jenner’s insight into milkmaids’ immunity led to the first vaccine.
• By 1980, smallpox was eradicated worldwide thanks to Jenner’s science.

4. Leprosy Stigma Hurt Communities but Compassion Changed Perceptions

Leprosy isolates its sufferers through both physical symptoms and societal stigma. The disease itself causes a loss of sensation, allowing unnoticed injuries to worsen into severe infections. Historically, societies ostracized lepers, out of fear and visible signs of the disease's effects.

In Hawaii, lepers were forcibly exiled to Molokai Island in the 1800s. Belgian priest Father Damien chose to live among them in 1873, caring for their wounds, creating orphanages, and showing kindness. Despite contracting leprosy himself and dying from it, Damien’s acts inspired a more compassionate approach toward leprosy sufferers.

Over time, his legacy helped reduce the stigma, reminding society that empathy can be as powerful as medicine in addressing health crises.

Examples

• Hawaiian lepers were sent to remote Molokai Island without support.
• Father Damien revolutionized care by providing hands-on help.
• His death broke down misconceptions about leprosy’s spread and treatment.

5. Cholera and the Folly of Faulty Theories

For decades, London’s doctors believed cholera came from bad air, not contaminated water. As cholera outbreaks ravaged the poor, authorities mistakenly directed waste into the River Thames to rid the city of foul smells. Tragically, the river was also London’s main water source, perpetuating illness.

In 1854, John Snow traced an outbreak to a single water pump on Broad Street. His determination to interview families and map connections overturned conventional thinking. Despite harsh criticism, his findings eventually led to measures like boiling water, which eliminated cholera from the city.

Snow’s persistence showed how evidence-based science can save lives, even against entrenched beliefs.

Examples

• Authorities exacerbated outbreaks while implementing the miasma theory.
• Snow mapped cholera cases back to contaminated drinking water.
• Public health improved once Londoners started boiling their water.

6. Censorship Turned Spanish Flu Into a Silent Killer

During World War I, Spanish flu spread unchecked, with devastating results. Unlike many diseases, it mostly killed young, healthy people aged 25 to 29. However, government censorship ensured the public never knew the severity of the disease, as reports of it were suppressed to maintain wartime morale.

Named the Spanish flu because neutral Spain covered it openly, the virus killed millions worldwide between 1917 and 1919. Without acknowledgment from leaders, there were no preventive measures like quarantines or public health campaigns. Once the virus’s severity diminished on its own in 1919, its mysteries remained largely unsolved.

The Spanish flu serves as a reminder of the deadly consequences of censorship in the face of public health crises.

Examples

• Spanish flu killed 50 million people globally in just two years.
• Governments concealed its existence due to wartime restrictions on news.
• Neutral Spain became the scapegoat for the pandemic in public perception.

7. Diseases Show How Stigmas Can Harm More Than Illness Itself

Leprosy and HIV, among other diseases, demonstrate how stigma impairs communities. Sufferers often experience isolation that compounds physical suffering. Yet, when society shows compassion, those affected benefit regardless of available treatments.

For instance, smallpox sufferers in history endured shame for their visible lesions. Contrast this with the care shown to lepers by carers like Father Damien, which provided a model for treating marginalized patients with dignity. Past cases of shaken public perceptions remind us of the value of destigmatizing medical conditions.

Examples

• Smallpox’s visible sores made survivors socially ostracized.
• HIV faced similar stigmatization during its early outbreak.
• Father Damien’s work on Molokai Island set a new empathy standard.

8. Vaccines Prove the Power of Prevention

Many of history’s most terrifying diseases now pose less of a threat thanks to vaccination. Smallpox, polio, and measles have all been either eradicated or controlled due to global immunization campaigns. Unfortunately, skepticism about vaccines has emerged despite overwhelming evidence of their success.

Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccine laid the groundwork, but it required widespread administration and education to achieve global eradication. As new diseases appear, vaccines highlight how science can preemptively tackle health risks before widespread outbreaks.

Examples

• The eradication of smallpox was achieved by sustained vaccination efforts.
• Polio remains largely controlled worldwide thanks to vaccines.
• Measles outbreaks spike only when vaccination rates dip.

9. Past Mistakes Show the Importance of Transparency in Public Health

Plagues and pandemics throughout history reveal that half-measures, denial, and superstition often worsen death tolls. Diseases like Spanish flu remind us how essential openness and factual communication are when addressing outbreaks.

Without proper public messaging and clear accountability, societies will continue repeating errors that cost lives. The lessons of cholera, smallpox, and Spanish flu underscore the need for transparency when tackling health crises globally.

Examples

• Reporting failures during Spanish flu resulted in millions of “hidden” deaths.
• Cholera misinformation delayed practical public health improvements.
• Superstitious approaches to the bubonic plague prolonged its devastation.

Takeaways

1. Always base health responses on data and transparent communication; misinformation can cost lives.
2. Build compassion into public health systems—addressing stigma helps communities recover more effectively.
3. Embrace preventive tools like vaccines to protect against avoidable crises.