New podcast explores historical battle against pandemics and plagues
A new podcast ‘A History of Pandemics’ sheds light on how societies and people across millennia have battled infamous pandemics and plagues - facing many of the same issues that we face today with coronavirus (COVID-19).
Featuring expert commentary from Dr John Curran and Dr James Davis, HAPP and other academics within Queen’s University Belfast’s Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS), the new four-part series (and a bonus episode) gives listeners key insights into past battles with pandemics and plagues, and how they have shaped the current world.
Discover how doctors in Ancient Greece died trying to heal patients, how the Black Death spread to Medieval Britain from Asia via northern Italy, how people were forced to self-isolate, and much more when you tune in to the podcast.
EPISODES:
Episode 1: Civilisation under attack
Discover the devastating impact of pandemics and plagues in Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire –how disease helped bring about the end of a past world. Featuring Dr John Curran, senior lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast.
Episode 2: Great pestilence
Medieval Britain, Ireland and Europe face a killer pandemic that they couldn’t have imagined – ‘the human race is almost wiped out’. Featuring Dr James Davis, senior lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast.
Episode 3: After the plague
Medieval Britain, Ireland and Europe are engulfed in a recurring pandemic (The Black Death) that threatens their very existence. Featuring Dr James Davis, senior lecturer at Queen’s University. Belfast.
Episode 4: The one who flies
In Medieval Europe people believed that comets ushered in plague and pestilence - find out why and what modern science can tell us about the basis of these beliefs? Featuring Dr Marilina Cesario, senior lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast, and Prof Francis Leneghan, Professor of Old English at Oxford University.
Bonus episode: Coronavirus – economies under strain
A bonus discussion on how the coronavirus pandemic might lead to long-term changes to where we live, our cityscapes and our working practices. Featuring Dr Graham Brownlow and Dr Niall Farrell, lecturers at Queen’s University Belfast.
‘A History of Pandemics’ is available on Apple, Spotify and other popular platforms.