The blame game is up and running. Hardly a person in authority has stuck their head above the parapet without receiving a chorus of vitriol. Chris Whitty, chief medical officer, trended online last week, despite suffering with symptoms of the coronavirus, his physical appearance cruelly mocked. Sir Patrick Vallance, chief scientific adviser, has also come under fire, as has Matt Hancock, health secretary, whose sacking was called for by Nigel Farage, the Brexit Party leader. #BorisOut has trended so often that it is almost pointless to document the episodes. One occasion was on the evening he tested positive for the virus.

This isn’t just about hysteria on social media, however. It is deeper, more atavistic. We know from the reports of Hernan Cortes and other