Memory and repression of epidemic infections

Abstract

Until the end of the eighteenth century, every lethal and widespread morbidity almost always took the name of ‘plague’, thus confusing the variety of epidemic forms within it. The medical art of the past obviously knew the symptomatic differences, but for the collective mentality there was almost a unique form of contagious manifestation. Historically distinguishing the plague from the flu also serves to balance the disproportion of attitude, still existing, in considering the flu syndrome as a trivial and simply annoying disease. The ‘Spanish’ pandemic is there to remind us what formidable and invisible enemy we are dealing with and although we have tried to forget the terrible calamity that was, a new pandemic today is ready to reawaken its memory.