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19th out of 19 books
—
18 voters
Viruses, Plagues and History
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...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
April 20th 2000
by Oxford University Press, USA
(first published January 22nd 1998)
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This is an educational book through-and-through. Yes, it’s true that I read a lot of what can be considered “educational” or popular science. I like science and its various branches (chemistry, physics, biology, cosmology, etc.) and math. I also like history and medicine. The author references more than one book that I remember reading when I was young and aspirations ruled the universe. For example, “The Microbe Hunters” by Paul de Kruif or books about Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur. (My middle-...more
this book examines viruses such as yellow fever, measles and polio which have been eradicated or nearly so. It examines how these viruses changed history and how viruses such as AIDS and how a flu epidemic may change history. It has a few chapters dedicated to viruses, how they form, what they do to the body, etc. Those chapters were a bit repetative, and overall I was left relieved I had finished the book. It was an OK read, but a bit to heavy and out-of-date for me.
Very well-written, for a scientist. Though there were some very unreadable passages, these were not a distraction, but only made the reader want to challenge himself to read and comprehend, which I didn't completely succeed at. Very exact and detailed in the history of the illnesses; very comprehensive, yet specific; very scary in its descriptions and predictions. I read this for research for an as-yet-untitled novel about plagues or viruses.
Ever wondered about measles, polio, yellow fever, ebola, lassa fever, hanta, or H1N1? This is the book to read. Accessible to readers of most levels though it does get a somewhat technical with viral natural history but still very interesting and kind'a scary! Ignorance is bliss but I don't think I want to be part of that group.
This is one of the best books I've read on the subject of viruses. It covers the major viral outbreaks in recent history, including the 1918 - 1919 influenza epidemic and HIV. Concise and intelligently written this is an informative and enjoyable read.
This book discusses several very interesting subjects. It would have gotten four stars except that, as it is over ten years old, some of the information is out of date. It's still worth reading if the subject matter interests you.
Interesting read... gives a summary of how the immune system works and how we have discovered/combated diseases like small pox, yellow fever, polio, measles... too bad anti-vaxxers are making some of these come back.
This was a pretty well-written book on some of the major infectious diseases we've had/have and how we've conquered them. I thought it was a neat book, and it made me feel better about vaccinating my kids.
The key problem is that this author is a bad writer... that's it. The material is fascinating but his delivery is abysmal and for that the reader suffers through 342 repetitive, confusing pages.
Nothing I hadn't read before - Jared Diamond used the same logic - but there was an interesting section at the end, about present and future challenges.
Easy enough to understand, though I was disappointed when I wanted to be done with the book due to impatience and how dull I found it.
It is informative however, so if that is all you're looking for then read it. If you want something more enjoyable to read as well as informative then I'd suggest something else more up to date.
It is informative however, so if that is all you're looking for then read it. If you want something more enjoyable to read as well as informative then I'd suggest something else more up to date.
This was not my favorite general pathology book. It really wasn't very memorable. It's a little outdated. To be fair, I've studied/read about a lot of this stuff already. Still, that's because I find it fascinating and this book wasn't fascinating. It was really too short to explore everything the title suggests. If you're looking for a slightly out of date, but extraordinarily interesting pathology book, I recommend "The coming plague" instead. Good stuff there and even though some of the knowl...more
this was a fascinating book, but VERY poorly edited. i would have given it four stars if it weren't for the crap editing.
and, of course, the book is 10 years old, so some of the information was out of date.
however, it was still a good read for someone as intrigued by infectious disease as i am.
and, of course, the book is 10 years old, so some of the information was out of date.
however, it was still a good read for someone as intrigued by infectious disease as i am.
Interesting content, terrible writing.
Basic info on viruses, what they are, how they infect. Also includes brief histories of diseases we've eradicated or severely limited (smallpox, measles, polio) and recently emergent viruses (AIDS, Ebola, Lassa, Hanta). Good if you're looking for a quick overview.
Jan 03, 2009
Jamie
is currently reading it
Ultimately unsatisfying, due to a style that doesn't achieve the excitement of The Microbe Hunters (as the author had attempted, based on his own words in the intro), and in fact doesn't really do much in terms of the history or the science.
May 19, 2013
Mary Cianciara
marked it as to-read
May 05, 2013
Kara
marked it as to-read
Apr 26, 2013
Heather
marked it as to-read
Apr 17, 2013
Emrgarnett
marked it as to-read
Apr 17, 2013
Lori
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
need-to-obtain,
z-nonfiction-science-medicine
Apr 09, 2013
Hawa Ahmed
marked it as to-read
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