Dr. Howard Markel studies the history of medicine at University of Michigan.

But right now, he's probably better known for the work he did with the CDC a few years

back.

He's one of the doctors who came up with the idea of social distancing.

Yeah, that's my baby.

Did you ever expect that these recommendations would be implemented in your lifetime?

Well, I hope they wouldn't.

Dr. Markel's recommendations, they were made official US policy back in 2007, which is

how so many states ended up locking themselves down this spring.

We only suggested it for worst case scenarios like 1918 or today with COVID, a very deadly

voracious viral pandemics.

I felt very proud of that work and I still am.

And I'm incredibly gratified that social distancing has become a major means of saving lives,

but at the same time, I'm horrified because I had never wanted us to implement these

measures because who wants the pandemic?

Nobody.

I wanted to talk to Dr. Markel because it seems like his big idea for squashing a pandemic

is coming to a dramatic end.

States are reopening and protesters are filling the streets.

Many of them in masks, sure, but very few of them are standing six feet apart.

This weekend, the pictures that captivated me were images of sheer volume, thousands of

people peacefully streaming down streets all across the country.

...