BANCROFTLIBRARY/GETTY
IMAGES
THIS MONTH IN HISTORYBACKGROUND
In the autumn of 1924, rumours began emerging
from the Mexican quarter of Los Angeles of an
outbreak of a horrifying new disease. Symptoms
included fever, coughing and severe pneumonia,
and when nine Latinos who had attended the
funeral of a recent victim died, the authorities quarantined
the Mexican quarter.
Officially, health officials blamed the outbreak on a
recurrence of a “severe form of Spanish influenza”, which
had sparked a pandemic just six years earlier. In fact, as
early as October, the authorities knew that the problem was
plague. Seventeen years before, an outbreak of the rat-borne
disease had brought terror to downtown San Francisco,
but at a time when Los Angeles was selling itself as a
hygienic, sun-kissed retirement destination, the city didn’t
need scare headlines about the return of the ‘Black Death’.
Instead, LA’s Chamber of Commerce persuaded the
city’s newspapers to cover up the truth in a bid to prevent
a federal quarantine of the city’s harbour. And so began
one of the most despicable episodes in ethnic quarantine
in modern US history – one that would see nearly 2,
Latinos trapped in a two-mile-square area of LA while
newspapers conspired to keep the bad news at bay.
Los Angeles in 1924 is not Wuhan in 2020, and plague
is a very different pathogen to SARS-CoV-2, the official
name for the novel coronavirus that emerged in the
Chinese city in Hubei in the final months of 2019.
But at a time when 11 million people in Wuhan are
confined to their homes and the cruise ship Diamond
Princess lies stranded in Yokohama after hundreds of
passengers tested positive for the coronavirus, it is hard not
to conclude that little has changed. Xu Zhangrun, a promi-
nent critic of the Chinese Communist party and its leader,
Xi Jinping, wrote in an essay shortly
after the quarantine measures came
in: “As word spread about the block-
ades... it felt as though we were being
confronted by a kind of barbaric panic
more readily associated with the
Middle Ages.”
Although the quarantine measures
in Wuhan and other Chinese cities
dwarf those taken in LA in 1924, the
aims are the same: to prevent the
contagion from spreading and keep
the wheels of commerce turning. But,given that 5 million people left Wuhan in the three weeks
between the first cases and the imposition of the quaran-
tine on 23 January, and that western airlines and interna-
tional companies have suspended trading in China for the
duration of the epidemic, both aims look to be in jeopardy.The return of ‘yellow peril’
Perhaps the biggest parallel, however, is the fear COVID-
(as the illness sparked by the virus is known) has ignited.
In Wuhan, residents rushed to stock up on face masks,
though many experts question their effectiveness. Hong
Kong has also seen panic-buying, while reports linking
the outbreak to snakes and other wild animals sold at a
seafood market in Wuhan have stoked racist tropes about
the ‘yellow peril’ and the dangers of ‘exotic’ Chinese foods.
Meanwhile, the Italian government’s decision to quaran-The 14th-century
Black Death prompted
libels against Jews,
while the 1980s Aids
crisis was blamed on
the sexual appetites
of gay men
BEHIND THE NEWSAnatomy of an outbreakThe world watches nervously as SARS-CoV-2 – better known as coronavirus – sweeps out of
China, bringing a tidal wave of fear, conjecture and prejudice in its wake. MARK HONIGSBAUM
looks at the history of pandemics and sees a common patternPlague reservoir Ground squirrel hunters pose with their haul.
Experts believe the creatures helped cause LA’s 1924 plague outbreakPride and prejudice Gay pride marchers in New York, 1983.
When Aids first made headlines, it was widely dubbed ‘the gay plague’BANCROFTLIBRARY/GETTYIMAGESTHIS MONTH IN HISTORY
BACKGROUND
In theautumnof1924,rumoursbeganemerging
fromtheMexicanquarterofLosAngelesofan
outbreakofa horrifyingnewdisease.Symptoms
includedfever,coughingandseverepneumonia,
andwhennineLatinoswhohadattendedthe
funeralofa recentvictim died, the authorities quarantined
theMexicanquarter.
Officially,healthofficialsblamedtheoutbreakona
recurrenceofa “severeformofSpanishinfluenza”,which
hadsparkeda pandemicjustsixyearsearlier.Infact,as
earlyasOctober,theauthoritiesknewthattheproblemwas
plague.Seventeenyearsbefore,anoutbreakoftherat-borne
diseasehadbroughtterrortodowntownSanFrancisco,
butata timewhenLosAngeleswassellingitselfasa
hygienic,sun-kissedretirementdestination,thecitydidn’t
needscareheadlinesaboutthereturnofthe‘BlackDeath’.
Instead,LA’sChamberofCommercepersuadedthe
city’snewspaperstocoverupthetruthina bidtoprevent
a federalquarantineofthecity’sharbour.Andsobegan
oneofthemostdespicableepisodesinethnicquarantine
inmodernUShistory– onethatwouldseenearly2,
Latinostrappedina two-mile-squareareaofLAwhile
newspapersconspiredtokeepthebadnewsatbay.
LosAngelesin 1924 is notWuhanin2020,andplague
is a verydifferentpathogentoSARS-CoV-2,theofficial
nameforthenovelcoronavirusthatemergedinthe
ChinesecityinHubeiinthefinalmonthsof2019.
Butata timewhen 11 millionpeopleinWuhanare
confinedtotheirhomesandthecruiseshipDiamond
PrincessliesstrandedinYokohamaafterhundredsof
passengerstestedpositiveforthecoronavirus,it is hardnot
toconcludethatlittlehaschanged.XuZhangrun,a promi-
nent critic of the ChineseCommunistpartyanditsleader,
XiJinping,wroteinanessayshortly
afterthequarantinemeasurescame
in:“Aswordspreadabouttheblock-
ades...it feltasthoughwewerebeing
confrontedbya kindofbarbaricpanic
morereadilyassociated with the
MiddleAges.”
Althoughthequarantinemeasures
inWuhanandotherChinesecities
dwarfthosetakeninLAin1924,the
aimsarethesame:topreventthe
contagionfromspreadingandkeep
the wheels of commerce turning. But,giventhat5 millionpeopleleftWuhaninthethreeweeks
betweenthefirstcasesandtheimpositionofthequaran-
tineon 23 January,andthatwesternairlinesandinterna-
tionalcompanieshavesuspendedtradinginChinaforthe
duration of the epidemic, both aims look to be in jeopardy.Thereturnof‘yellowperil’
Perhapsthebiggestparallel,however,is thefearCOVID-
(astheillnesssparkedbythevirusis known)hasignited.
InWuhan,residentsrushedtostockuponfacemasks,
thoughmanyexpertsquestiontheireffectiveness.Hong
Konghasalsoseenpanic-buying,whilereportslinking
theoutbreaktosnakesandotherwildanimalssoldata
seafoodmarketinWuhanhavestokedracisttropesabout
the‘yellowperil’andthedangersof‘exotic’Chinesefoods.
Meanwhile, the Italian government’s decision to quaran-The14th-centuryBlackDeathpromptedlibelsagainstJews,whilethe1980sAidscrisiswasblamedonthesexualappetitesof gay men^BEHIND THE NEWSAnatomy of an outbreakTheworldwatchesnervouslyasSARS-CoV-2– betterknownascoronavirus– sweepsoutofChina,bringinga tidalwaveoffear,conjectureandprejudicein its wake.MARK HONIGSBAUMlooks at the history of pandemics and sees a common patternPlaguereservoirGroundsquirrelhuntersposewith theirhaul.
Experts believe the creatures helped cause LA’s 1924 plague outbreakPrideandprejudiceGaypridemarchersin NewYork,1983.
When Aids first made headlines, it was widely dubbed ‘the gay plague’