Willot M
Université Versailles Saint-Quentin, UFR Simone Veil, 2 avenue de la Source de la Bièvre, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France.
Ethics Med Public Health. 2023 Jun 26:100922. doi: 10.1016/j.jemep.2023.100922.
Humans have always referred to religion in History to explain disasters, and epidemics, especially when science could not explain them. Religion has often been invoked as a mean of protection. The Covid outbreak in 2020 and the initial medical impotence brought up old fears, reminiscent of the plague for some people. Unable to rely on science only, some turned back to religion.
A narrative review was conducted to compare the role of religion during the Great Plague of Marseille versus the early stages of Covid-19 pandemic. We mostly studied contemporary documents on the Great Plague of Marseille, and collected press articles on Covid-19.
RESULTS/DISCUSSION: For both epidemics, some people see in the outbreak a sign of God's revenge. Logically, intensifying spiritual life and multiplying religious demonstrations can be a way to fight both epidemics. Studying religion in these times of epidemics also highlights its roles in public health: sometimes facilitating the contaminations if not regulated, sometimes supporting public health policies with some positions, as for Covid vaccines. Conclusion/Perspectives: The comparison of an ancient epidemic with the current pandemic allowed us to take a broader look at the current vision of contagious disease, in societies that have become highly medicalized. The fight against epidemics remains polymorphous, and one of the aspects is religious. Integrating this information in our practices can help improving holistic management of patients, and public health policies efficiency.
在历史上，当科学无法解释灾难和流行病时，人类总是借助宗教来进行阐释。宗教常常被视为一种保护手段。2020年新冠疫情的爆发以及最初医疗手段的无力唤起了人们往日的恐惧，对一些人来说，这让人联想到鼠疫。由于无法仅依靠科学，一些人转而求助于宗教。
进行了一项叙述性综述，以比较宗教在马赛大瘟疫期间与新冠疫情早期阶段所起的作用。我们主要研究了关于马赛大瘟疫的当代文献，并收集了有关新冠疫情的新闻报道。
结果/讨论：对于这两种流行病，一些人将疫情爆发视为上帝复仇的信号。从逻辑上讲，加强精神生活和增加宗教活动可以成为对抗这两种流行病的一种方式。在这些疫情时期研究宗教也凸显了其在公共卫生方面的作用：如果不加规范，有时会助长传染；有时在某些立场上支持公共卫生政策，比如在新冠疫苗方面。结论/展望：将一场古代流行病与当前的大流行进行比较，使我们能够更全面地审视在高度医学化的社会中对传染病的当前认知。抗击流行病的方式仍然多种多样，其中一个方面就是宗教。将这些信息融入我们的实践中有助于改善对患者的整体管理以及提高公共卫生政策的效率。
