PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Benjamin R Doolittle
TI  - Are we Athens or Florence? COVID-19 in historical context
AID  - 10.1136/fmch-2020-000811
DP  - 2021 Jan 01
TA  - Family Medicine and Community Health
PG  - e000811
VI  - 9
IP  - 1
4099  - http://fmch.bmj.com/content/9/1/e000811.short
4100  - http://fmch.bmj.com/content/9/1/e000811.full
SO  - Fam Med Com Health2021 Jan 01; 9
AB  - We have been here before. In 430 BCE, a plague struck Athens, killing as much as 25% of the population. In 1347 CE, the bubonic plague afflicted western Europe for 4 years, killing as much as 50% of the population. The plague of Athens led to a collapse of their religion, cultural norms and democracy. In contrast, the bubonic plague led eventually to the Renaissance, a growth of art, science and humanism. As we contend with the COVID-19 global pandemic, will we become Athens or Florence?