The History of Science and Pandemics in Portugal and in the World

Abstract

We have assembled

in this book a set of articles on the history of pandemics, which treat the subject in the world context and very particularly in the Portuguese context. The topics chosen correspond to the interests of the researchers who kindly agreed to collaborate. The first two articles deal with the plague, the great medieval pandemic that still raged in Porto in 1899. The third presents a brief history of tuberculosis in Portugal, with emphasis on the reception of innovations made abroad. The fourth discusses the fertile relationship between chemistry and public health, whose relevance has been growing since the 19th century. The fifth is a study of the French physician Jules Héricourt, who lived between the 19th and 20th centuries. The sixth deals with the Spanish flu and the lessons it taught. The seventh deals with viruses, particles that were very poorly known at the time of the Spanish flu. Finally, the eighth and ninth treat the current issue of COVID-19, one its evolution in Portugal and the other how the History of Science was able to use the subject in its research and pedagogical aspects.

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