Our Malady: Lessons In Liberty From A Hospital Diary by Timothy Snyder — Review

Health care should be a right, not a privilege, for the sake of our bodies, and for the sake of our souls.

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Emergency room visit. (getty)

This summer, I have been deeply immersed in the many fascinating books written by Timothy Snyder, the inaugural Temerty Chair in Modern European History at the University of Toronto. Professor Snyder, who is currently on indefinite leave from his faculty position at Yale University, is an American historian specializing on 20th century atrocities, mainly those committed by the Nazis and the Stalinists. Amongst all his books — all brilliantly written — this particular book stood out to me because most people don’t think so intensely about the intersections between history, politics, human rights and healthcare, including, as it turns out, the author himself.

This changed abruptly after Professor Snyder fell ill in Germany just prior to the start of the pandemic in December 2019. He was released from hospital, undiagnosed, the following morning but ended up in hospital again a week or so later after returning to the United States, where an appendectomy seemed to correct his problems. He was released less than 24 hours after the surgery. A week later, he was back in hospital in Florida, suffering from a complex array…