健康行動学③　感染症について　ペスト　歴史の教訓から学びを深める　オンデマンド授業用　2026　英和学院大学

Summary

The lecture uses the history of plague epidemics to show how past experiences can inform present-day health decisions, including infection prevention and vaccination.

Symptoms and transmission

Plague is a bacterial disease. Bubonic plague can cause painful swelling of the lymph nodes and spread through infected fleas or contact with infected animals. Pneumonic plague can spread through infectious respiratory secretions. Severe illness may involve fever, weakness, bleeding under the skin, and difficulty breathing.

Epidemics and social consequences

Travel and trade helped carry plague between regions, including through port cities and ships. Venice’s practice of isolating arriving ships for 40 days was an early form of border-based infection control; the word quarantine is associated with this practice. The broader lesson is to identify and interrupt routes of transmission.

Plague outbreaks caused enormous loss of life, weakened political institutions, and disrupted societies. Fear and uncertainty also fueled misinformation, scapegoating, and violence. One historical example is the persecution of Jewish communities based on false accusations.

Cultural change and public health lessons

The lecture discusses how plague challenged established religious explanations of illness and encouraged new ways of thinking about human nature, death, and individual life. Artworks such as The Dance of Death express this change and are associated with a wider shift during the Renaissance.

The lecturer emphasizes learning from history without assuming that past practices were automatically effective. Examples include hygiene and disinfection, protective equipment for healthcare workers, and tracking outbreaks with timely data. Effective prevention, reliable information, and protecting people at risk matter; blaming or excluding groups does not.

The lecture also mentions Isaac Newton’s work during the 1665 plague period and Kitasato Shibasaburō’s contribution to plague research in Hong Kong in 1894. It reflects on how crises can prompt scientific and social change, and how digital tools can support learning and human relationships while preserving the value of face-to-face interaction.

Assignment

Write a report of about 300 words on what you learned about plague, focusing on important considerations for maintaining health and preventing infectious disease. Check the course email for submission instructions.

Speakers and Sources

• Speaker: Akada, the lecturer.
• Materials and sources: An unidentified film or video clip depicting a plague examination; historical records and maps of plague spread; images of plague masks and protective clothing; artworks discussed as The Dance of Death and a depiction of the Virgin Mary associated with the Renaissance; a Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 tracking resource; and historical references to Newton and Kitasato Shibasaburō.