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From From Wondery, I'm Lindsay Graham, and this is American Scandal. Oh, wow. In 1900, the bubonic plague arrived in San Francisco.

The disease spread quietly at first until bodies began to appear in Chinatown.

Then it was up to Dr. Joseph Kinyon, one of the country's top public health officials, to try and

contain the outbreak. But Kenyon quickly found himself battling more than just a disease. City officials

feared panic and economic collapse. Business leaders prioritized profits over safety, newspapers denied

the plague's existence, and anti-Chinese racism turned a public health emergency into a political

firestorm. Dr. Kenyon's efforts were therefore met with resistance, denial, and sabotage,

and in the end, he was pushed out. Over a century later, many of those same tensions resurfaced, as COVID-19 spread throughout the world.

Once again, we saw how public safety efforts were eroded by the distrust of science, politicization of health measures, and institutional failures at the highest levels.

My guest today is Dr. Howard Markell.

He's a physician and historian who has written extensively about the history of epidemics,

quarantine, and the public health institutions we rely on in times of crises.

We'll talk about what we've learned and failed to learn from past infectious diseases

and how politics, greed, and misinformation continue to shape the way we respond.

Our conversation is next.

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