Art in support of life: Caravaggio and the plague.

In the struggle with COVID-19, art offered a way to face the solitude of the lockdown. The focus of this paper is primarily on Caravaggio's painting The Seven Works of Mercy, with references to other paintings to amplify some aspects of the artist's approach to life and his uniqueness in the artistic landscape of his time. Darkness was part of Caravaggio's research for spiritual truth and by entering the stories of his life and exploring the tales told through imaginative expression in his paintings, it is possible to understand his process of exploration of ancestral darkness. The author uses her imagination to reflect on how art can help to contact the profound fears buried in the unconscious which are now being awakened by the pandemic. The contemplation of this painting facilitated the emergence of emotions related to the darkness of our time, with the discovery that empathy and mercy offer a way to come to terms with the pandemic. This approach demands a different understanding of reality with Caravaggio's dark creative world becoming a companion that permits the exploration of what is not yet thinkable in daily life. Images accompany the author's research that relies on her imagination and amplifications.

Dans la bataille avec la COVID-19, l'art a offert une manière de faire face à la solitude du confinement. L'accent de cet article vient principalement du tableau du Caravage Les sept œuvres de miséricorde, avec des références à d'autres tableaux pour amplifier certains aspects de l'approche de l'artiste et sa singularité dans le paysage artistique de son époque. Pour le Caravage, la noirceur fait partie de la recherche de vérité spirituelle. En entrant dans les histoires de sa vie et en explorant les récits racontés au travers de l'expression imaginative dans ses tableaux, il est possible de comprendre son processus d'exploration de la noirceur ancestrale. L'auteur utilise sa propre imagination pour réfléchir à comment l'art peut aider à contacter les peurs enterrées dans l'inconscient et qui sont maintenant éveillées par la pandémie. La contemplation de ce tableau a facilité l'émergence d'émotions liées à la noirceur de notre époque, avec la découverte que l'empathie et la compassion offrent une voie pour se confronter à la pandémie et l'accepter. Cette approche requiert une compréhension différente de la réalité et le monde noir et créatif du Caravage devient un compagnon qui permet l'exploration de ce qui n'est pas encore pensable dans la vie quotidienne. Des images accompagnent la recherche de l'auteur qui se fie à son imagination et ses amplifications.

En la lucha con el COVID-19, el arte ofreció una vía para enfrentar la soledad del confinamiento. El foco del presente trabajo es principalmente la pintura Siete obras de Misericordia, de Caravaggio, con referencias a otras pinturas para amplificar algunos aspectos del acercamiento del artista a la vida, y su singularidad en la escena artística de su tiempo. La oscuridad fue parte de la búsqueda de Caravaggio por la verdad espiritual, y al entrar en las historias de su vida y explorar los cuentos narrados a través de su expresión imaginativa en sus pinturas, es posible comprender su proceso de exploración de la oscuridad ancestral. La autora utiliza su imaginación para reflexionar sobre cómo el arte puede ayudar a contactar miedos profundos enterrados en el inconsciente, los cuales ahora están siendo despertados por la pandemia. La contemplación de esta pintura facilitó la emergencia de emociones relacionadas con la oscuridad de nuestro tiempo, con el descubrimiento de que la empatía y la compasión ofrecen una vía para poder llegar a términos con la pandemia. Este abordaje demanda una comprensión diferente de la realidad con el mundo creativo de Caravaggio volviéndose un aliado que posibilita la exploración de lo que aún no puede ser pensado en nuestra vida cotidiana. Imágenes acompañan la investigación de la autora, que se basa en su imaginación y en amplificaciones.

Control measures of a 400-year-old plague epidemic: an example of past efficiency at controlling disease and similarities with current epidemics.

The plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, provides one of the best historical examples of pandemic infection. It can therefore be considered the first "globalized" disease, thanks also to the crowds that favoured the rebalancing of infectious agents between Europe and the Middle East. In this paper we analyse all the official documents of the time, highlighting the most effective prevention measures implemented in the city of Ferrara during the Italian plague. Historical mortality data for the 1630 Italian plague in northern Italy are first analysed. In contrast to the high rates recorded throughout the area from Milan to Florence, the mortality rate in Ferrara remained normal over the period. From the city's documents it emerged that the authorities, from the 16th century onwards, had already understood that the spread of the contagion could also occur through domestic animals, although rats are never mentioned. The strength of Ferrara's response to the "plague emergency" stems from an efficient and emergency-ready health control system, financed and supported by the "permanent surveillance team of the city and the Pontifical Legation of Ferrara - Azienda Sanitaria Pubblica" even in times of great economic difficulty for the State. Among the various measures that the city of Ferrara adopted to deal with the plague the following should be mentioned: guards at the city gates, lazarettos, safety of doctors, self-isolation and treatment of every suspicious case as if it were a real case of plague, measures to support the poorer classes of the population, veterinary and hygiene standards for the city and for housing, management of Catholic religious functions and the precepts of the Legation of Ferrara, which was under papal control, closure of churches to avoid mass gatherings, and limitations of all kinds of social and economic relations within and outside the population. The broad regimen, laid down in the 16th century, contains extremely modern health rules which are very much in line with those recommended by the WHO and the health authorities of each individual state in the current COVID-19 pandemic, even starting with hand-washing. The fight against epidemics of the past, especially the history of the plague in the 17th century, anticipates very important and valid concepts, and represents a wake-up call for the recent epidemics of emerging pathogens.

Salvation in a Time of Plague.

Health workers offer their skills and care to COVID-19 pandemic patients, just as St Roch offered healing to those stricken by bubonic plague during the Renaissance. This article interprets 3 works of art in light of Roch's story of illness and recovery and applies key insights of ethical, artistic, and clinical relevance to the COVID-19 pandemic.