Introduction
A Historical Approach to Pandemic
In 1025, Avicenna (A Persian polymath) completed his Canon of Medicine,
within which he speculated that some diseases are spread by
microorganisms. He suggested the method of isolating people for 40 days
to prevent transmission of diseases. For this, he was reprimanded by
religious authorities, but his recommendations were taken up by Venetian
traders who were travelling on the Silk Road. They took his knowledge
back to Italy and from this the word “quarantena” (“the
forty ”) was born. A similar situation prevails today, as economic and financial pressures are thwarting science and logic recommendations, increasing the likelihood of a devastating second phase.