Epidemics and Society

Twenty-five million people were killed as the Black Death spread across Europe. While this was the most notorious outbreak of the plague, it certainly wasn't the last. Even today, cases of the plague can occur. This book explores the types of disease, how it spread, the aftermath of an epidemic, and how all of these things shaped society and changed humanity.

This book analyzes the history, development, and spread of AIDS from its very beginnings to the present day. It engagingly discusses the science behind the disease and aspirations to find a cure. Sidebars are included to support the narrative.

Within a single week in September of 1854, around 600 people died from a cholera outbreak that began with the use of a single water pump. The effects were devastating, and even today cholera occurs throughout the globe because of tainted water supplies. This thrilling narrative explores the history of the disease, the steps taken to cure its victims, and how cholera epidemics have shaped society.

Thanks to a the pioneering efforts of disease researchers and immunologists and a highly effective and concerted global vaccination effort, one of the most dread diseases of the twentieth century has been largely wiped out. For most people, polio is no longer the terrifying specter it once was, yet it still casts a long and dark shadow over human consciousness and history, due to its extreme physical and emotional effects on polio victims and their families, and the equally extreme early treatments for it. The story of polio is ultimately a triumphant one, involving ingenious detective work and scientific experimentation, breakthrough discoveries, courageous study participants, and an inspiring global mobilization to protect a vulnerable population of young children. This compelling tale of disease, suffering, courage, determination, and triumph is told in gripping detail, revealing exactly how society was scarred, shaped, and ultimately strengthened by its successful war on polio.

This book provides an in-depth look at the development of Ebola, one of the most feared diseases in the world. Analyzed are the epidemic's origins, development, spread, and current treatments.

Of all the diseases that humans have suffered throughout history, the biggest killer by far has been smallpox. It's believed that as many as half a billion people died from this disease in the twentieth century alone. Today, the disease no longer exists as a threat to civilization. Modern medicine has helped to wipe this disease off the face of the earth. It only exists frozen in laboratories. It is no longer a threat to daily life and the way we live. The road to eradication is an interesting one. As it spread throughout the world, it affected families, communities, and entire civilizations. It caused more deaths in the last hundred years than all the wars fought during that period combined. The disease knew no economic, political, geographic, or social boundaries. It touched the lives of the rich and the poor, kings and peasants, chauffeured presidents and ordinary pedestrians. This is the heartbreaking, tragic, but ultimately triumphant story of the diseases rise, spread, and eventual eradication. Even more compelling is this book's account of how society was shaped by the dread disease and the course of civilization permanently altered.