Learn more about diseases and epidemics of the past - and the science behind our path forward into a safer future.
Murphy, Jim, 1947-
2003
Randall, David K.
2019
Osterholm, Michael T., author
2017
Infectious disease has the terrifying power to disrupt everyday life on a global scale, overwhelming public and private resources and bringing trade and transportation to a halt. In today's world, it's easier than ever to move people, animals, and materials around the planet, but the same advances that make modern infrastructure so efficient have made epidemics and even pandemics nearly inevitable. So what can -- and must -- we do in order to protect ourselves? Drawing on the latest medical science, case studies, and policy research, Deadliest enemy explores the resources and programs we need to develop if we are to keep ourselves safe from infectious disease.-- Source other tha Library of Congress
Kolata, Gina Bari, 1948-
1999
Tale of the mysterious killer of millions in the 1918 Great Flu Epidemic.
Wright, Jennifer Ashley, 1986- author
2017
A witty, irreverent tour of history's worst plagues--from the Antonine Plague to leprosy to polio--and a celebration of the heroes who fought them. Throughout time, humans have been terrified and fascinated by the diseases history and circumstance have dropped on them. Some of their responses to these outbreaks are, in hindsight, almost too strange to believe.
Johnson, Steven, 1968-
2006
Kelly, John, 1945-
2005
Macip, Salvador.
A specialist in the cellular biology of diseases, Salvador Macip explains, in a language everyone can understand, what it means to share the planet with millions of microbes - some wonderful allies, others terrible foes.
Khan, Ali, MD, author
2016
Waltner-Toews, David, 1948- author
2020
"Authored by a leading epidemiologist, this engrossing book answers our questions about animal diseases that jump to humans--called zoonoses--including what attracts them to humans, why they have become more common in recent history, and how we can keep them at bay. Almost all pandemics and epidemics have been caused by diseases that come to us from animals, including SARS, Ebola, and--now--Covid-19. Epidemiologist, veterinarian, and ecosystem health specialist, David Waltner-Toews, gathers the latest research to profile dozens of illnesses in On Pandemics. Coronaviruses, such as those that cause SARS and Covid-19, have made bats their home for centuries. Until SARS came along, we didn't know they were there, nor do we know how many other death-dealing viruses might be living undetected in wildlife."-- Provided by publisher.
Senthilingam, Meera, author
2020
In recent years, outbreaks of Ebola and Zika have provided vivid examples of how difficult it is to contain an infection once it strikes, and the panic that a rapidly spreading epidemic can ignite. But while we chase the diseases we are already aware of, new ones are constantly emerging, initiating a new race to identify them. Meera Senthilingam presents a timely look at humanity's ongoing battle against infection, examining the successes and failures of the past, along with how we are confronting the challenges of today, and our chances of eradicating disease in the future.
Honigsbaum, Mark, author
2020
How can we understand the COVID-19 pandemic? Ever since the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, scientists have dreamed of preventing such catastrophic outbreaks of infectious disease. Yet despite a century of medical progress, viral and bacterial disasters continue to take us by surprise, inciting panic and dominating news cycles. In The Pandemic Century, a lively account of scares both infamous and less known, medical historian Mark Honigsbaum combines reportage with the history of science and medical sociology to artfully reconstruct epidemiological mysteries and the ecology of infectious diseases. We meet dedicated disease detectives, obstructive or incompetent public health officials, and brilliant scientists often blinded by their own knowledge of bacteria and viruses--and see how fear of disease often exacerbates racial, religious, and ethnic tensions.
Nikiforuk, Andrew, 1955-
2006
"Pandemonium" is the authoritative and compelling story of current and coming pandemics, from avian flu to SARS to BSE, from Lyme disease to anthrax. In an increasingly industrialized global society, these invaders - and the H5N1 virus is only the latest - pose an ever greater threat.
Kenny, Charles, author
2021
This history of mankind's battles against infectious diseases looks at how epidemics shaped empires and economies and how medical revolutions freed us from these cycles until new threats caused by changes in global trade and climate.
Henry, Bonnie, Dr., author
2020
"As a physician who has spent the better part of the last three decades chasing bugs all over the world -- from Ebola in Uganda to polio in Pakistan, SARS in Toronto, and the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in British Columbia -- Dr. Bonnie Henry, a leading epidemiologist (microbe hunter) and public health doctor, offers three simple rules to live by: clean your hands, cover your mouth when you cough, and stay home when you have a fever. From viruses to bacteria to parasites and fungi, Dr. Henry takes us on a tour through the halls of Microbes Inc., providing up-to-date and accurate information on everything we eat and drink, the bugs in our backyard, and beyond. Lively, informative, and fascinating, Soap and Water & Common Sense is the definitive guide to staying healthy in a germ-filled world."-- Provided by publisher.
Chakraborty, Arup, author.
2021
"Informed and accessible overview of viruses and pandemics, how our immune system combats them, and how diagnostic tests, vaccines, and antiviral therapies work to form the foundation of public health."-- Provided by publisher.