In this week’s episode, we talk to epidemiologist Keren Landsman about plagues, pandemics, and public health. We discuss the Black Death, how it spread, and what public health measures managed to curb the disease that wiped out up to two-thirds of the population. We also ask: what’s the deal with plague doctors – did those terrifying masks even protect against disease?

Fast-forward to modern-day outbreaks and epidemics… what breakthroughs have changed the way we respond to them? How has the erosion of trust during the COVID-19 pandemic affected the way people receive health information? And is society obsessed with being too clean?

Please note: we recorded this episode early in 2023, so there are some references to events (like Ebola outbreaks) that were recent at the time of recording, but are not ongoing today.

Show Notes

• Follow Keren on X, or her blog, The End of the World

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