ABSTRACT. This special lesson on hodie mihi, cras tibi provides a comparison between famous pandemics in human history, in order to identify not only the common traits, but also, hereby starting, some possible lessons to be learned. The main factors that will be taken into account will be the social context, the means of obtaining a viable diagnostic, the symptoms and the social impact of the pandemics, as well. The similarities, as well as the differences between those pandemics, on all the afore-mentioned issues, could offer some insights for the future.

Keywords: Covid-19; Spanish Flue; Antonine Plague; social structure; medical progress; pandemic symptomatology and communication