Viruses, Plagues, and History
by Michael B. A. Oldstone
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Description
The story of viruses and the story of humanity have been intertwined since the dawn of history. The first small cities formed not only the cradle of civilization, but the spawning ground for the earliest viral epidemics, the first opportunity for viruses to find a home in the human herd. This is a story of fear and ignorance, as everything from demons and the wrath of the gods to minority groups have been blamed for epidemics from smallpox to yellow fever to AIDS. It is a story of grief and show more heartbreak, as hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, are wiped out in a single year. And it is a st show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in a brief history of virus (and prion) based diseases since the outbreak of smallpox.
Michael Oldstone does not write about outbreaks like The Black Plague so, for those interested in that topic will have to look elsewhere.
I do like his introductory chapters in which he describes the mechanism of infection. For those who would like to get a basic understanding of this mechanism, I recommend these chapters.
The author has neatly divided the book into chapters in which he writes about each disease, the outbreak, and the search for medication.
Michael Oldstone highlights the conflicts between business, politics and science. The one topic he mentions a few time is the possibility of show more viruses being used for bio-warfare. The prospect of bioterrorism is worrying and is something we should be prepared for. show less
Michael Oldstone does not write about outbreaks like The Black Plague so, for those interested in that topic will have to look elsewhere.
I do like his introductory chapters in which he describes the mechanism of infection. For those who would like to get a basic understanding of this mechanism, I recommend these chapters.
The author has neatly divided the book into chapters in which he writes about each disease, the outbreak, and the search for medication.
Michael Oldstone highlights the conflicts between business, politics and science. The one topic he mentions a few time is the possibility of show more viruses being used for bio-warfare. The prospect of bioterrorism is worrying and is something we should be prepared for. show less
Interesting book...a tad outdated on the modern viruses because so much has been learned since the book was published in 1988.
Full disclosure, my review is entirely biased because I had to read this book for a biology class.
medicine, plague, epidemic
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Author Information
14 Works 388 Members
Michael B. A. Oldstone is a Member (Professor Emeritus) at The Scripps Research Institute, where he directed the Laboratory of Viral-Immunobiology.
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Virus, Pestes e Historia; Virus, pestes e historia
- Original title
- Viruses, Plagues & History
- Alternate titles
- Viruses, Plagues & History
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Science & Nature, History, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 614.57 — Applied science & technology Medicine & health Epidemics, Poisons, Alternative Medicine Incidence of and public measures to prevent specific diseases and kinds of diseases Bacterial diseases
- LCC
- RC114.5 .O37 — Medicine Internal medicine Internal medicine Infectious and parasitic diseases
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 335
- Popularity
- 94,470
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.48)
- Languages
- English, Hungarian, Polish, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 17
- ASINs
- 6
