We used to smash plates to disturb the atmosphere, study our astrological alignments and try to balance our humours. This is how doctors in antiquityThe ancient past, especially before the Middle Ages. and the early medievalRelating to the Middle Ages. period advised dealing with pandemics of nasty and highly contagiousSpreads from one organism or person to another. diseases.

It was not until the 19th Century that preventing pandemics became an art, when British reformer Edwin Chadwick took it upon himself to undertake an inquiry into the causes of the choleraA dangerous infection, still present in some parts of the world that is usually caught from drinking unclean water. epidemicA widespread disease or infection..

As it happened, the causes were quite simple. Cemented in the 1848 Public Health Act, some improvements to sanitationAccess to clean water and waste disposal., better drainage and regular inspection of towns' environmental health did more to stop the spread than anyone could have imagined. It was the first time the government was made responsible for protecting the health of the public.

Now, the UK's independent inquiryAsking for information. Also used to refer to long official investigations. into the government's handling of Covid-19 probably hopes to make the same kind of splash that Edwin Chadwick did.

The study will look at what we can learn from the pandemicAn outbreak of disease which occurs across a wide geographic area, as opposed to an epidemic, which is confined to a particular region. and is expected to be critical of the government's response.

The inquiry will cost hundreds of millions of pounds, but will not deliver a verdict until 2026. The panel is seeking stories from the public about their experiences of the pandemic in a listening exercise called "Every Story Matters".

Some people are arguing that it is too little, too late. By 2022, Sweden had already completed a comprehensive Covid-19 report which analysed its own successes and failures. In France and Italy, ministers are even facing criminal proceedings for mishandling pandemic policy.

Others say that the inquiry will be a necessary reminder of the risks of a future pandemic. Experts have warned that the UK is no better prepared now than it was in 2020 to prevent the spread of a new virus or strain.

They cite record A&E waiting times, ambulance delays, waiting lists and insufficient supplies of PPEPersonal protective equipment or politics, philosophy and economics as potentially catastrophic factors if a new wave of illness hits the UK.

Even more worryingly, scientists think that it is not an issue of if, but of when. Modelling has suggested that there is a 38% chance that we will experience another pandemic within our lifetimes.

Yes: We are developing new technologies every day. Countries are working together. With every year that passes by we get closer to perfecting the method for warding off pandemics.

No: Many excess deaths were caused during Covid-19 by a failure to fund public healthcare services, and nothing has been done to make this better. This is true in many countries.

Or... One thing that the inquiry has highlighted so far is that the UK was too busy planning for an influenzaAlso known as the flu, a common viral infection among humans causing a high temperature. pandemic to have prepared for a coronavirus. Pandemics will always be unpredictable, and some of our response is based on luck.