Does history count as a non-pharmaceutical intervention? Much of our view on what to do in this pandemic has been influenced by the 1917 Spanish 'flu outbreak - even though covid-19 seems to be acting differently.

In this podcast, we talk to Howard Markel, a professor of pediatrics at Michigan, as well as professor in the history of medicine. He's written books on quarantines and epidemics, and was part of a team that did the medical and historical work that first showed the value of flattening the curve.

This is the first of 4 podcasts from our US colleagues, looking at the disease in that country, which will be published over the next 2 months.

For more on covid-19
www.bmj.com/coronavirus