From antiquity to today, epidemic diseases have devastated nations and their populations. Repeatedly, they have triggered broad ranging consequences for societies—in the economic, social, cultural, religious, and governmental realms. We will use selected epidemics throughout history to illustrate the extent of this epidemic impact and reveal how civilizations not only become vulnerable to epidemics, but also refractory to human efforts to eradicate them.
Powel Kazanjian is an infectious diseases doctor and medical historian. He has degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Tufts, and at the University of Michigan, where he is Professor and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Professor in the Department of History. His medical background and historical training have provided a multidisciplinary approach to his teaching and scholarship. His courses on the “History of Epidemics” and “Sexually Transmitted Diseases” offer students a comprehensive lens to view the impact that infectious diseases have had on societies throughout history.
