Legislators' plague: How history of science can explain the struggles of universal pandemic responses

• José Ferraz-Caetano ^[1] ; Bruno D. A. Pinheiro ^[2]
  1. [1] Universidade Do Porto

     Universidade Do Porto

     Santo Ildefonso, Portugal

     
  2. [2] Universidade de Aveiro

     Universidade de Aveiro

     Vera Cruz, Portugal

     
• Localización: Handbook of research on historical pandemic analysis and the social implications of COVID-19 / coord. por Antonio Cortijo Ocaña, Vicent Martines Peres, 2022, ISBN 978-1-79987-987-9, págs. 47-59
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • This chapter brings important novel insights and perspectives to the urging contemporary debate on public hygienist policies. The authors intend to explore how an episode of history of science can be used to explore the struggles of universal pandemic responses. The focus will be on the inception of science-based legislation, created to deal with public health emergencies, and their communication and social acceptance. They argue if any of the symptoms of science misinformation and a weak science foundation of legislative action identified in the 2020 coronavirus pandemic can be identified in an early 20th-century outbreak of bubonic plague in Portugal. They present a national legislative policy timeline towards the pandemic effort in the form of consolidated legislative responses to fight Porto's emerging pandemic in 1899. They also provide future studies on science-based policy with newfound material, aiding the characterization of the communication and eventual harmonization of concerted responses in preempting the spread of pandemics.