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Daily Archives: January 28, 2021

A Close Look at Spain’s 1817 Health Guidelines: Avoiding the Spread of Disease

In Custodia Legis The following is a guest post by Alice Pérez Ververa, an intern with the Digital Resources Division of the Law Library of Congress. She is a current student of the Information School at the University of Washington. “This document was a mandate with 24 instructions written by Spanish government and health authorities on handling the spread of bubonic plague in Spain near coastal towns and ports. Ensuring the health and safety of the public through ordinances was as important in 1817 as it is in 2020. Interested in reading the entire document in English? You can read the entire English translation here. Before the age of social distancing, quarantining, shelter-in-place orders, hand sanitizer, and mask-wearing there was isolation in open fields, lazarettos, health ballots, and soaking your mail in vinegar. Travel back 200 years and you would find people dealing with their pandemic in that way. In 1817, the Spanish government sent instructions to local governments declaring the outbreak of plague after reports of a wave of the bubonic plague hitting northern Africa near Algiers, Bona, and other towns. This declaration, contained in the above “instructions”, was targeted at the Spanish coastal towns and seaports which saw a lot of traffic back then. The guidelines put in place by the Spanish government during this time are strikingly similar to what we are currently practicing. The plague has been interwoven throughout history. The Black Death dates back to the 14th century, when it scarred Europe, killing half the population, and sent civilization into the Dark Ages. Spain, wanting to avoid another catastrophe such as that, published several laws and guidelines to help combat the spread of the bubonic plague…”

Potential Legal Implications of Telemedicine and Telehealth

Law Technology Today: “The COVID-19 pandemic has required shutdowns to occur radically and rapidly nationwide. Many medical professionals have needed to rethink their delivery of care, most notably with the accelerated expansion of telehealth. Although, there are concerns regarding the safety and privacy of patients due to the rapid deregulation we have seen, despite some… Continue Reading

Digital Age Samaritans

Kaufman, Zachary D., Digital Age Samaritans (December 1, 2020). Boston College Law Review, Vol. 62, No. 4, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3741017 “Modern technology enables people to view, document, and share evidence of crimes contemporaneously or soon after commission. Electronic transmission of this material — including through social media and mobile devices — raises legal,… Continue Reading

Tracking COVID-19 Vaccines: U.S. Data Systems and Related Issues

CRS Insight – Tracking COVID-19 Vaccines: U.S. Data Systems and Related Issues, January 28, 2021: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for two Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, sponsored by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, and millions of vaccine doses are being distributed nationwide. Both vaccines require two doses,which are… Continue Reading

Presidential Library Series: FDR Library

Archives Foundation / YouTube – Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt: America’s First Power Couple. “Join FDR Presidential Library Director Paul Sparrow for a discussion of the 20th century’s most influential power couple. We’ll explore the impact of Franklin and Eleanor together and apart, delving into Eleanor’s role in redefining what it means to be First Lady… Continue Reading

Designing for the Future – The Post-Pandemic Library

Ditto Press – “The past year frayed the fabric of American life. Our civil society fractured, as citizens living side by side consumed vastly different information streams. Patent untruths and conspiracy theories flourished in the mainstream. Our civic dialogue broke down more than at any time since Reconstruction. In the midst of ongoing turmoil, libraries… Continue Reading

New Variants of the Virus that Causes COVID-19

CDC – “Viruses constantly change through mutation, and new variants of a virus are expected to occur over time. Sometimes new variants emerge and disappear. Other times, new variants emerge and persist. Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been documented in the United States and globally during this pandemic. The virus that… Continue Reading