The class focuses on three examples of contagious disease outbreaks and the varied responses to each, which affords a historical analysis that highlights the significance of the context of place and time: the London plague of 1665, the Boston smallpox of 1721, and the San Francisco plague of 1900-1907. Vested interests, diversity of impacted populations, and misgivings regarding scientific and medical approaches shaped the response to and outcome of the spread of contagion, which highlights the constancy of human nature amid crises. This series provides content of interest to enthusiasts of history, science, medicine, and societal norms and values.