The Power of Plagues

The Power of Plagues
Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages : 505
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781683670018
ISBN-13 : 1683670019
Rating : 4/5 (019 Downloads)

Book Synopsis The Power of Plagues by : Irwin W. Sherman

Download or read book The Power of Plagues written by Irwin W. Sherman and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-07-02 with total page 505 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Power of Plagues presents a rogues' gallery of epidemic- causing microorganisms placed in the context of world history. Author Irwin W. Sherman introduces the microbes that caused these epidemics and the people who sought (and still seek) to understand how diseases and epidemics are managed. What makes this book especially fascinating are the many threads that Sherman weaves together as he explains how plagues past and present have shaped the outcome of wars and altered the course of medicine, religion, education, feudalism, and science. Cholera gave birth to the field of epidemiology. The bubonic plague epidemic that began in 1346 led to the formation of universities in cities far from the major centers of learning (and hot spots of the Black Death) at that time. And the Anopheles mosquito and malaria aided General George Washington during the American Revolution. Sadly, when microbes have inflicted death and suffering, people have sometimes responded by invoking discrimination, scapegoating, and quarantine, often unfairly, against races or classes of people presumed to be the cause of the epidemic. Pathogens are not the only stars of this book. Many scientists and physicians who toiled to understand, treat, and prevent these plagues are also featured. Sherman tells engaging tales of the development of vaccines, anesthesia, antiseptics, and antibiotics. This arsenal has dramatically reduced the suffering and death caused by infectious diseases, but these plague protectors are imperfect, due to their side effects or attenuation and because microbes almost invariably develop resistance to antimicrobial drugs. The Power of Plagues provides a sobering reminder that plagues are not a thing of the past. Along with the persistence of tuberculosis, malaria, river blindness, and AIDS, emerging and remerging epidemics continue to confound global and national public health efforts. West Nile virus, Lyme disease, and Ebola and Zika viruses are just some of the newest rogues to plague humans. The argument that civilization has been shaped to a significant degree by the power of plagues is compelling, and The Power of Plagues makes the case in an engaging and informative way that will be satisfying to scientists and non-scientists alike.


The Power of Plagues Related Books

The Power of Plagues
Language: en
Pages: 505
Authors: Irwin W. Sherman
Categories: Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2020-07-02 - Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

GET EBOOK

The Power of Plagues presents a rogues' gallery of epidemic- causing microorganisms placed in the context of world history. Author Irwin W. Sherman introduces t
Plagues Upon the Earth
Language: en
Pages: 704
Authors: Kyle Harper
Categories: Business & Economics
Type: BOOK - Published: 2021-10-12 - Publisher: Princeton University Press

GET EBOOK

"Panoramic in scope, Plagues upon the Earth traces the role of disease in the transition to farming, the spread of cities, the advance of transportation, and th
Plagues and Epidemics
Language: en
Pages: 430
Authors: Ann Herring
Categories: Social Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2010-05-15 - Publisher: Berg

GET EBOOK

Whether in popular media or scientific literature, plagues are currently a topic of tremendous interest and anxiety. Through an excellent range of case studies,
Plagues and Peoples
Language: en
Pages: 370
Authors: William McNeill
Categories: Social Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2010-10-27 - Publisher: Anchor

GET EBOOK

The history of disease is the history of humankind: an interpretation of the world as seen through the extraordinary impact—political, demographic, ecological
Plagues in World History
Language: en
Pages: 257
Authors: John Aberth
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2011-01-16 - Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

GET EBOOK

Plagues in World History provides a concise, comparative world history of catastrophic infectious diseases, including plague, smallpox, tuberculosis, cholera, i