Several decades later the epidemic has passed and a period of relative temperance sets in.

FORBES: When Gin Was In

The problem is that the death toll is still too small, and far too little is known about the length of the incubation period, to rule out an epidemic.

ECONOMIST: Mad-cow disease

Mr. Chen said there are no signs of an epidemic but noted the approaching springtime is the key period to prevent disease.

WSJ: Dead Pigs Worry Shanghai

It is that the epidemic of imprisonment seems to track the dramatic decline in crime over the same period.

NEWYORKER: The Caging of America