The New and The Old

“The history of quarantine paradoxically indicates that people do not learn enough from history itself”. (Conti 2008)

As we have already pointed out, the indictment of modern society is its refusal to learn from its mistakes and disregard the knowledge and experience accumulated over the centuries. 

The basic premise is that knowledge is cumulative. Therefore, progress can only occur if we build on what we already know. Thus, in the spring of 2020 - facing so much uncertainty - we tried to influence thinking using historical examples. 

On 1 May 2020, we posted “Covid-19 Hospitals – Back to the Future.” We were already concerned by the rising problem of hospital-acquired infections that still bothers us.

The Archaeological reconstruction of Roman Military hospitals (valetudinaria) shows the presence of single-story buildings with raised floors and air circulating all around the single cubicles where sick legionaries were admitted. It is possible that the cells shared a two-person ablution facility, probably to facilitate the “buddy system”, where two soldiers of the same unit look after each other as bud…