Plagues & History talk: Professor Chris Dobson and Dr Mary Dobson

The talk in the Darwin College Lecture Series on Plagues and History was given by Professor Chris Dobson & Dr Mary Dobson on 24 January 2014. The outline of the talk is below, and the lecture is now available online.

Plagues have changed history, stopped armies in their tracks and altered the fate of nations. Mary and Christopher Dobson outlined the impact of plagues on human history and reflected on related challenges that will be faced by future generations. Taking a broad chronological perspective, their talk ranged from the plagues of antiquity and the medieval period, including the Black Death of the mid-14th century, to the major infectious diseases of the 20th and 21st centuries, such as the 1918-19 Spanish flu and the recent pandemic of HIV /AIDS. They also highlighted the continuing importance of addressing the 'silent' killers, such as the many diseases that afflict children and the poor in low-income countries, as well as discussing the increasingly prevalent afflictions of ageing and affluent societies, including dementia and diabetes. Tremendous advances have been made over the centuries in our understanding, prevention, and treatment of disease, with triumphs such as the eradication of smallpox and a substantial rise in life expectancy in many parts of the world. Major challenges now are to find ways of preventing modern 'plagues', such as those facing our ageing populations, and this talk concluded by looking at scientific research that offers hope for current and future generations.