From the Black Death to modern pandemics, epidemics have shaped the course of human history as profoundly as wars or revolutions. While science has transformed our understanding of disease, the challenge of responding to outbreaks remains deeply human, shaped by politics, culture, and the way societies organise themselves. Gareth Williams, former Dean of Medicine at Bristol University, immunologist Peter Openshaw, historian Caitjan Gainty and Professor Dorian Haskard explore how past societies made sense of epidemics and ask what their experiences can teach us today. As global travel, urbanisation and environmental change create new vulnerabilities, how can history help us navigate an uncertain future? And at a time when the gap between ‘experts’ and the public is widening, who do we trust when the next crisis comes?