“It’s difficult to apply history to modern day; most scenarios are deeply nuanced, with too many extraneous factors to allow for a fair equivalence. Even so, Boston’s early public health system relied on an essential ingredient lacking today: trust.”
Andrew Wehrman
I’m happy to have had my research featured in this piece for @wgbh.org! It’s a short version of the arguments I made in my book, namely that revolutionary Americans understood their government had a duty to protect them from epidemic disease.
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
As smallpox spread, colonists equated public health with self-governance, demanding that local officials track outbreaks and protect the public from contagion.
