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plague
The disease reached the Nordic countries with one of Hansan’s merchant ships in 1349 and a year after the infection spread to Sweden. The Yersinia pestis bacteria was transmitted from rats to humans through fleas, but it was not known then, but there were theories that the disease was due to “bad air” or poisoning. However, they knew that it spread through close contact with other people.
– During the plague, it was the fear of disease that kept people apart. There was no extended system of social distancing by the authorities, says Peter Nilsson, professor of cardiovascular research and head of the Unit for the History of Medicine at Lund University.
The pest infested houses were marked with a cross on the door indicating that the house should be avoided, hence the phrase “sky like the plague”. There were also whole towns and cities that closed the gates and did not let people in from outside.
– The best mediators may have withdrawn in groups in castles or large houses, if they had such opportunities.
But it probably wasn’t something that poorer people had a chance to do.
– I think ordinary people had such harsh conditions that they had to work and let daily life continue. What you could do is close the door if any pest infestation occurs. In some cases, you could see who was infected if the plague caused dark bumps.
The so-called plague doctors also participated in a kind of social estrangement, because their special, beak-shaped masks filled with herbs or spices that would protect against infection, seemed intimidating to others.
– The mask was supposed to act as a filter, the plague was thought to be infected by bad air and the stench of corpses. If you met that person on the street, you probably took a step back.
The question is how effective was the social space.
– I find it hard to believe that it has helped much to close cities, castles and castles from contacts with the outside world because it is difficult to maintain strict isolation for a long time. The disease also returned 20 times in Sweden until the 18th century.
Sick Spanish patients are cared for in a temporary hospital at the Oakland, California Municipal Auditorium, 1918.
Photo: Edward A. “Doc” Rogers / AP
Spanish disease
The Spanish disease worsened in 1918-1920, at a time when the virus was not yet discovered. But it was understood that something was contagious and tried to separate the sick from the healthy.
– What you could do in Sweden was to isolate the sick as much as possible. Special hospitals were established, even in smaller villages and communities. In some places, gyms were used.
World War I collapsed until the end of 1918 and many Swedes were summoned. Greater care was taken to prevent infections in the home than to protect the rest of the population. The rest of the community was practically anchored as usual.
– There were no blocks. I’m not sure what people said, but I guess it was the old advice to avoid contacting the sick.
The Spanish disease came in several waves. The first wave in the spring of 1918 was not as dangerous, but the second wave in the fall of that year worsened with increasing mortality.
How much did the distancing of the sick help?
– It is very difficult to evaluate, I think you did the best you could.
Tuberculosis patients in a sanitarium at Saranac Lake in New York, USA. UU., At the end of the XIX century.
Photo: Saranac Lake Free Library / AP
tuberculosis
The disease is caused by the tuber bacteria that was identified in 1882 and that for centuries has caused local epidemics. In Sweden, for example, it erupted in poor settings in Norrland during the 19th century, when large sanitariums began to be built for those affected.
– Often children were those who came by order of the provincial doctor. They had to eat and rest. Sanitariums are themselves a form of social distance at the group level.
Tuberculosis gave rise to the current law on infection prevention, as the authorities realized that legislation was needed to take preventive measures. In 1914, the law entered its first form with special measures for tuberculosis and four years later it was expanded to include sexually transmitted diseases.
– Tuberculosis was forced to report and there were clear rules on how to treat the disease. If he was in an infectious stage, he had to isolate himself until the samples turned negative and he also had to undergo treatment, while those close to those infected would keep some distance.
The measures were moderately effective, Peter Nilsson believes, during the 19th century, as there were no safe diagnostic methods for isolating and culturing the bacteria.
– The first version of the Infection Protection Law of 1914 obtained the best effect and then the disease could also be properly diagnosed, so then the distancing, voluntary or based on the law, certainly became more effective.
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