Compendium Pandemica: A Guide to Horrible Infectious Diseases

by A.D. Gray

In this fascinating collection of dark medical history, curious cures, and modern medical interventions, pathologists' assistant A.D. Gray examines infectious diseases in a quirky, yet oddly compelling manner. The excessively graphic, borderline ridiculous portraits of microscopic monsters and discussions of dark medical history will simultaneously educate and entertain in a way that neutralizes some of the terror illness can create. You'll gain a basic understanding of how diseases operate and what to do about them, plus you'll learn that history often repeats itself during global pandemics.

Packed with fun facts that might make you squirm, Compendium Pandemica: A Guide to Horrible Infectious Diseases is a must-have for fans of disgusting medical shows, bodily horrors, and anyone with an interest in medical history or the microscopic world around them

Genres: Nonfiction

181 pages, Paperback

Published August 10, 2020

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good beginning if you are fascinated by infectious diseases. It's kind of like people who read true crime, it's a very guilty pleasure, unless you are a health professional, or someone who teaches about diseases, which I did. There was a lot of information in the book, condensed within a readable format. But I saw some statements that I had questions about, and other infectious diseases that should have been covered. Remember when everyone was worried about Zika a could of years ago? Because of babies being born with small heads? Everyone was treating it like the next Ebola, but it ended up being in Florida and no where else, and impacted very few in the US. One disease, that will be of concern as the country gets warmer is Dengue which should have been included in this book. There are some of these diseases that worry people like Ebola, but currently we don't usually have a problem with this disease in the US, and very few have brought cases in from other countries. But we are going to have problems with measles again, because it is mutating around the vaccine, and people are refusing to get their children vaccinated with the MMR shot because of lack of education and ignorance. As a Deaf person with 3 degrees, and who is Deaf due to rubella and measles, this concerns me. We are in a time period where ignorance is rampant, and people are being selfish about caring for others...as we keep making inroads on the natural world, we can expect to see new emerging diseases that previously only impact animals, like bats or civets...COVID19 is just the latest emerging disease. We need to educate everyone about this, otherwise we will never get this diseases under control.

[Avid reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic quirky and educational. A must have for horror fans!

[Riley Deibler · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best reads I've had in a long time. Keeps u hooked from the first to last page.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conversational without being overly gory, I enjoyed learning about how diseases spread and are managed. Reassuring in a time of misinformation!

[Kristyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to A.D. Gray for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A.D. Gray is a pathologists' assistant who has written this book about horrible infectious diseases. I've never had so much fun reading about horrible diseases! This is sort of a Spark Notes of disease. Each disease consists of its history, disease course, treatment, and prevention in a few pages. My favorite sections were the disease histories where I learned some "fun facts" about these diseases. There is also an extensive list of works cited if you would like to do more research on any of the listed diseases.

This book was very informative and also entertaining. It wasn't boring or dry and I really feel like I learned something. I recommend this book if you are interested in medical stuff or just have a morbid curiosity about things.

Now excuse me while I go Google my symptoms...

[Brice Culhane · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I work as an epidemiologist and thought this could be an amusing read, and maybe help me learn about some conditions I am unfamiliar with and don’t work with as often. Although it was that providing the briefest of overviews on some truly nasty diseases while making it easy for the layperson so understand and enjoy (I do appreciate this authors sense of humor) this book is not without its problems. Firstly I did note some inaccuracies in information, especially in the section on rabies (I primarily work with rabies in my job and am required to be knowledgeable on the subject). The other issue is some of the sources aren’t very credible, I noticed Wikipedia and some newspaper articles cited so although the majority of information seems to be accurate one should take everything with a grain of salt.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

A.D. Gray’s nonfiction overview of infectious diseases is an entertaining and informative guide to many famous and scary diseases that may be particularly interesting to readers given the current state of the world and the COVID-19 pandemic. Keep in mind this is a very cursory overview of the diseases, each covered in just a few pages. If you’re looking for more in depth information and studies, look elsewhere. But if you just want an introduction to the topic, this is the perfect place to start. Gray writes at a brisk pace and is adept at making the material understandable and relatable. Although Gray’s attempts at humor are not always accessible, this is otherwise a very readable and enjoyable book. It definitely has piqued my interest in regards to many of the diseases discussed, and I look forward to reading more on the subject in the future.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned about this book through following the author's Instagram account and I'm glad I picked it up! While an informative read, it isn't overbearing with the information presented and it was quite an enjoyable read. I liked the anecdotes sprinkled within the explinations; they really kept the book from feeling like a homework assignment and I feel like it genuinely made it more accessible for a wider audience. I had been familiar with most of the diseases discussed but the refresher was more than welcome and the citations in the back were organized for easy research when my curiosity was piqued.

All in all, I am personally looking forward to the author's next book and will be sure to lend my copy out often!

[Angel (Bookn.All.Night) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wanted to read about infectious diseases without 1)feeling like you're studying for a college exam; 2)having to read 2 or 3 other books just to understand the one you're currently reading; 3)having to re-read multiple times because you're just lost?

Well look no further because this is the book for you. It's brief, concise, quirky and informative. Don't worry it is also chock full of grossness and the always fun 😳😳😳😳😳 what did I just read. This is definitely one for the shelves and one I know I'll peruse again.

I appreciate the author for gifting me this copy for an honest review. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.

[Patrick Ashe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptionally approachable, useful guide with wit and just the right balance between being useful to the layperson and sharing the well-documented research. (I'm not seeing the Wikipedia reference another review mentioned other than the early reference to the band Anthrax responding to their page, in a humorously and related way. There's dozens upon dozens of reputable sources like medical journals, CDC, BMJ, NIH, etc.) I've taught research methods in the social services field and thought this was informative yet engaging, which is critical for sharing important info with the people. Excellent work!

[Morgan Lyons · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely a bit of a cash-grab during the height of the COVID-19 scare, but you can't blame a person for being enterprising. The lower rating is due more to the almanac-style presentation of what felt like rather superficial information.
As one reviewer in my book club put it: "it was like reading a compilation of not super well-written Wikipedia articles, sometimes inaccurate and often failing to contextualize the information presented."
There were a few humorous quips thrown in, and knowing next to nothing about infectious diseases, I gleaned a kernel or two of Jeopardy-level trivia, but this read much more like "a very cursory overview" than a true "guide" to infectious diseases.

[KR Pendergrass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent voice and extremely knowledgeable!

This was written by someone after my own heart. Very, very knowledgeable on the subject but casual enough to comment on the band “Anthrax” and recur to bats as “cute sky-puppies”. Full of great information, but an enjoyable read rather than a textbook.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An informative and sometimes scary book! Great content, well written, researched and cited. The one issue I had was with the layout - headings at the bottom of the page and a paragraph split completely in half on one page (page 119). Self-publishers beware, the layout is just as important as the content.

[Norm Wrona · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a public health professional, I found this book an excellent read! The author covers the topic in a manner that allows the lay public to understand the material without dumbing down the material. At the same time, individuals with a solid understanding of the topic will find it equally enlightening and enjoyable to read.

[Ash Hawkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly one of my favourite books due to it's short chapters that summarise various diseases' history, treatment and prevention and humour that lightens what could otherwise be a quite depressing topic. My copy is thoroughly read.

[Lukas Anderson-Xuereb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

This is my kind of reading. Brilliantly written and packed with very detailed descriptions, I definitely recommend to the curious.

[Sean Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book going over plenty of various distances and their history.

[Sam Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love that it was written by a fellow Pathologists’ Assistant! Enjoyed the dark humor sprinkled throughout while still learning about various infectious diseases.