History of Medicine

With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that COVID-19 can be spread through the air, which is why wearing masks is so effective (far more than social distancing) and arguably necessary to stem the spread of the disease. This is particularly true indoors where ventilation is limited and the air carries the virus for longer than outdoors where the wind can blow it away.  Representation of miasma or bad air that can cause disease What is interesting is that this theory was not accepted by many virologists (or even the WHO who resisted the claim that the virus can be carried in the air. It took more than 200 experts arguing in support of the airborne nature of the virus to convince the WHO to declare it so. The reason for this discrepancy (and resistance to the airborne theory) is interesting, and surprisingly, relates to none other than the granddaddy of medicine, Hippocrates.  It was Hippocrates who first noticed (back in 5th century BCE) that people in one region often got sick with