Commentary: Epidemics past and present provide context for coronavirus

Jacob Steere-Williams, CofC History professor, wrote about the history of epidemics in an editorial for the Post and Courier. His class, History 291: Disease, Medicine, and History, counts toward the Medical Humanities minor.

I often kick off the semester in my undergraduate classes at the College of Charleston with a simple question: What disease are you most afraid of?

The replies are predictable; Ebola, bubonic plague and HIV/AIDS usually top the list, though sometimes a wry public health student will mention cholera or dengue fever. I use this exercise to open up a conversation with students about an uncomfortable truth: We rarely fear the diseases most likely to make us sick or kill us. The leading causes of death in the United States today are heart disease, cancer and accidents. Students never mention accidents. Read More.