The author is with the Departments of History and Asian Studies, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.
Am J Public Health. 2021 Mar;111(3):423-429. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2020.305960. Epub 2021 Jan 21.
In this article, I explore the historical resonances between China's 1911 pneumonic plague and our current situation with COVID-19. At the turn of the 20th century, China was labeled "the Sick Man of the Far East": a once-powerful country that had become burdened by opium addiction, infectious disease, and an ineffective government. In 1911, this weakened China faced an outbreak of pneumonic plague in Manchuria that killed more than 60 000 people. After the 1911 plague, a revolutionized China radically restructured its approach to public health to eliminate the stigma of being "the Sick Man." Ironically, given the US mishandling of the COVID pandemic, observers in today's China are now calling the United States "the Sick Man of the West": a country burdened by opioid addiction, infectious disease, and an ineffective government. The historical significance of the phrase "Sick Man"-and its potential to now be associated with the United States-highlights the continued links between epidemic control and international status in a changing world. This historical comparison also reveals that plagues bring not only tragedy but also the opportunity for change.
在这篇文章中，我探讨了中国 1911 年肺鼠疫与当前新冠疫情之间的历史共鸣。在 20 世纪之交，中国被贴上了“东亚病夫”的标签：一个曾经强大的国家，如今却深受鸦片瘾、传染病和无效政府的困扰。1911 年，这个虚弱的中国在东北地区爆发了肺鼠疫，导致超过 6 万人死亡。1911 年鼠疫之后，革命后的中国彻底改革了公共卫生措施，以消除“东亚病夫”的耻辱。具有讽刺意味的是，鉴于美国对新冠疫情的处理不当，如今中国的观察家们开始称美国为“西方病夫”：一个深受阿片类药物成瘾、传染病和无效政府困扰的国家。“病夫”一词的历史意义——以及它现在与美国联系在一起的可能性——凸显了在不断变化的世界中，传染病控制与国际地位之间的持续联系。这一历史对比还表明，瘟疫不仅带来悲剧，也带来变革的机会。
