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Ending Epidemics: A History of Escape from Contagion
How scientists saved humanity from the deadliest infectious diseases—and what we can do to prepare ourselves for future epidemics.
After the unprecedented events of the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be hard to imagine a time not so long ago when deadly diseases were a routine part of life. It is harder still to fathom that the best medical thinking at that time blamed these diseases on noxious miasmas, bodily humors, and divine dyspepsia. This all began to change on a day in April 1676, when a little-known Dutch merchant described bacteria for the first time. Beginning on that day in Delft and ending on the day in 1978 when the smallpox virus claimed its last known victim, Ending Epidemics explains how we came to understand and prevent many of our worst infectious diseases—and double average life expectancy.
Ending Epidemics tells the story behind “the mortality revolution,” the dramatic transformation not just in our longevity, but in the character of childhood, family life, and human society. Richard Conniff recounts the moments of inspiration and innovation, decades of dogged persistence, and, of course, periods of terrible suffering that stir individuals, institutions, and governments to act in the name of public health. Stars of medical science feature in this drama, but lesser-known figures also play a critical role. And while the history of germ theory is central to this story, Ending Epidemics also describes the importance of everything from sanitation improvements and the discovery of antibiotics to the development of the microscope and the syringe—technologies we now take for granted.
After the unprecedented events of the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be hard to imagine a time not so long ago when deadly diseases were a routine part of life. It is harder still to fathom that the best medical thinking at that time blamed these diseases on noxious miasmas, bodily humors, and divine dyspepsia. This all began to change on a day in April 1676, when a little-known Dutch merchant described bacteria for the first time. Beginning on that day in Delft and ending on the day in 1978 when the smallpox virus claimed its last known victim, Ending Epidemics explains how we came to understand and prevent many of our worst infectious diseases—and double average life expectancy.
Ending Epidemics tells the story behind “the mortality revolution,” the dramatic transformation not just in our longevity, but in the character of childhood, family life, and human society. Richard Conniff recounts the moments of inspiration and innovation, decades of dogged persistence, and, of course, periods of terrible suffering that stir individuals, institutions, and governments to act in the name of public health. Stars of medical science feature in this drama, but lesser-known figures also play a critical role. And while the history of germ theory is central to this story, Ending Epidemics also describes the importance of everything from sanitation improvements and the discovery of antibiotics to the development of the microscope and the syringe—technologies we now take for granted.
376 pages, Hardcover
First published April 11, 2023
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2126 people want to read
About the author
Richard Conniff
31 books83 followersRichard Conniff, a Guggenheim Fellow and winner of the National Magazine Award, is the author most recently of House of Lost Worlds: Dinosaurs, Dynasties, and the Story of Life on Earth. He writes for Smithsonian and National Geographic and is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, and a former commentator on NPR's All Things Considered. His other books include The Natural History of the Rich, Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time, and The Species Seekers. He lives in Old Lyme, Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 28, 2023
As someone with a science background/career I really loved this book! Such an interesting breakdown of key scientific discoveries in a way that is both digestible to the average reader but also detailed enough for those with a pre-existing scientific background to not feel bored. With added fun facts and details that manage to keep the heavy nature of deadly diseases and history from becoming too overbearing throughout the book. I would highly recommend this book to anybody with an interest in epidemics or disease history.
Thanks to the Author and MIT press for the ARC of this book!
Thanks to the Author and MIT press for the ARC of this book!
February 20, 2023
This was so good, I'm almost at a loss for words.
A new history of epidemics and how far humanity has come in fighting these natural nemeses. Not only a detailed and far-reaching record, this text brings in unwritten, sidelined, and purposefully erased histories and characters. Have you ever heard of Kendrick and Eldering? How about Loney Clinton Gordon? And Kitasato Shibasaburō? You or your ancestors may owe your lives or livelihood to these people, who were women, not white, and/or not from the West.
The author rightfully casts a critical eye on science and medicine as social practices dominated by power structures as much as being quests for knowledge and serving "man." I was surprised but not really surprised to find that many Nobel prize winners and vaccine creators (Salk in particular) were ungracious, self-serving, masterclass-level jerks, apparently in it for the glory, to the extent of pushing others out and taking the credit, time and time again. But I go one step further than the author—why didn't anyone stand up to these privileged white men (and they were all privileged white men)? Why are they still centred? The Nobel prize in particular strikes me as a deeply flawed way of recognizing achievements, one that seems sexist, racist, and classist to the core.
As much as the author called out this nasty history, this deeply embarrassing and harmful state of affairs that continues to this day, there were undercurrents of sexism that I was dismayed to come across. Why did the author have to characterize Janet Parker as "disturbingly beautiful" while fighting off the smallpox that would soon kill her? I was also not as surprised as the author to find out that many of the women shied away from the spotlight and refused to take credit, preferring to represent their work as a community effort. Women are socialized to do that, DUH! Also, that's a more accurate take on reality! Finally, the author held back too much when it came to calling out injustices, preferring to state this was that and that was this rather than say "that was wrong and should be corrected." There was an especially light hand dealt to anti-vaxxers, who were merely described as existing in certain numbers doing xyz. I'm not sure if the author wrote this way on purpose, perhaps in the hope that future anti-vax readers might be drawn in to the rest of the text, as long as no part caused direct offence. I wish the author had taken a stronger stance.
Altogether, I greatly enjoyed this trek through the record of infectious diseases and the very human story underlying it.
Thank you to the MIT Press and NetGalley for the advance copy.
A new history of epidemics and how far humanity has come in fighting these natural nemeses. Not only a detailed and far-reaching record, this text brings in unwritten, sidelined, and purposefully erased histories and characters. Have you ever heard of Kendrick and Eldering? How about Loney Clinton Gordon? And Kitasato Shibasaburō? You or your ancestors may owe your lives or livelihood to these people, who were women, not white, and/or not from the West.
The author rightfully casts a critical eye on science and medicine as social practices dominated by power structures as much as being quests for knowledge and serving "man." I was surprised but not really surprised to find that many Nobel prize winners and vaccine creators (Salk in particular) were ungracious, self-serving, masterclass-level jerks, apparently in it for the glory, to the extent of pushing others out and taking the credit, time and time again. But I go one step further than the author—why didn't anyone stand up to these privileged white men (and they were all privileged white men)? Why are they still centred? The Nobel prize in particular strikes me as a deeply flawed way of recognizing achievements, one that seems sexist, racist, and classist to the core.
As much as the author called out this nasty history, this deeply embarrassing and harmful state of affairs that continues to this day, there were undercurrents of sexism that I was dismayed to come across. Why did the author have to characterize Janet Parker as "disturbingly beautiful" while fighting off the smallpox that would soon kill her? I was also not as surprised as the author to find out that many of the women shied away from the spotlight and refused to take credit, preferring to represent their work as a community effort. Women are socialized to do that, DUH! Also, that's a more accurate take on reality! Finally, the author held back too much when it came to calling out injustices, preferring to state this was that and that was this rather than say "that was wrong and should be corrected." There was an especially light hand dealt to anti-vaxxers, who were merely described as existing in certain numbers doing xyz. I'm not sure if the author wrote this way on purpose, perhaps in the hope that future anti-vax readers might be drawn in to the rest of the text, as long as no part caused direct offence. I wish the author had taken a stronger stance.
Altogether, I greatly enjoyed this trek through the record of infectious diseases and the very human story underlying it.
Thank you to the MIT Press and NetGalley for the advance copy.
December 17, 2022
There are a lot of things to like about Ending Epidemics by Richard Conniff. With COVID still being around this is even more topical than it would have been otherwise, though it would have been worth the read even prior to our current situation.
As science/medical history, this is an excellent read. The writing is concise but relaxed, bringing the reader along as we watch history being made over the years. While science is certainly the focus these are equally engrossing as stories of people doing wonderful things, displaying their curiosity and ingenuity to solve problems while advancing science and medicine.
It was also effective the way he included the relatively mundane things that can help prevent or minimize the effects, such as sanitation, as well as the peripheral inventions in science (improvements to the microscope, for instance) that helped make discoveries possible.
Perhaps one of the things that most speaks to our current situation is how short our memories can be. This isn't just true in this area, but can be more devastating than other examples. When a deadly disease is eradicated or so minimized as to be rare, we forget, as a population, how much pain and death previous generations lived with. Then, when new diseases pop up, as they will, our bigger problem becomes our lack of mental preparedness to take necessary steps even when those steps come far quicker than they ever could have before.
Highly recommended for both the reader with minimal knowledge of virology or epidemiology as well as those with more knowledge of the science but who want to better understand the history.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
As science/medical history, this is an excellent read. The writing is concise but relaxed, bringing the reader along as we watch history being made over the years. While science is certainly the focus these are equally engrossing as stories of people doing wonderful things, displaying their curiosity and ingenuity to solve problems while advancing science and medicine.
It was also effective the way he included the relatively mundane things that can help prevent or minimize the effects, such as sanitation, as well as the peripheral inventions in science (improvements to the microscope, for instance) that helped make discoveries possible.
Perhaps one of the things that most speaks to our current situation is how short our memories can be. This isn't just true in this area, but can be more devastating than other examples. When a deadly disease is eradicated or so minimized as to be rare, we forget, as a population, how much pain and death previous generations lived with. Then, when new diseases pop up, as they will, our bigger problem becomes our lack of mental preparedness to take necessary steps even when those steps come far quicker than they ever could have before.
Highly recommended for both the reader with minimal knowledge of virology or epidemiology as well as those with more knowledge of the science but who want to better understand the history.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
December 7, 2022
I loved this book. The book’s main strengths were the conversational tone, great explanations of the science, compelling writing that made the book impossible to put down, and the biographies. In addition, I didn’t find the book preachy or dogmatic and I felt that Richard Conniff gave honest and objective appraisals of the personalities involved. Certainly there was no deification of anyone in the book. If the book had any weaknesses, it was that it ends with the eradication of smallpox. And the only reason this might be a weakness is that I would have loved to have read Conniff’s analysis of later epidemics. In other words, given Conniff’s great writing, I would have been willing to read a longer book. On the other hand, by closing the story at smallpox, Conniff was able to do justice to all the other subjects in the book. Overall this is a great read. Thank you to Netgalley and MIT Press for the digital review copy. .
November 30, 2022
Nicely done. Basically a scientific history lesson. Well researched and presented in an interesting way, I learned a lot and suspect many others will enjoy this as well. Recommended.
I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!
I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!
August 23, 2023
Good at going into the social dynamics of laboratories and the assistants who made great discoveries possible.
December 10, 2023
Standard information about "microbes and men."
December 28, 2023
One of m favorite books of the year!
August 16, 2024
Catch my professional review of this book in The Quarterly Review of Biology soon(ish)
June 11, 2023
💀💀 Won in a giveaway ☠️☠️
I really did find this book very, very interesting. A lot of fun (and gross) facts. That is a warning to anyone grossed out by medical procedures, illnesses with all the yucky symptoms and the like. This book had me intrigued, for the most part. I think toward the end, I was just trying to get through it. I love books with information like this. Learning is how we grow, but there is just so much in this book, I just wanted to finish it. I definitely learned a lot and recommend it if you like this kind of stuff. The print was pretty small so even when I felt like I was reading a lot, page wise, it was taking a while. I started a fun fiction book while I was reading this just when I needed a break from all the disease talk. I will say that I liked this book and recommend it. Happy reading! 🤒💉💊🩹🩺🩻🩼 Thank you to the author, Richard Conniff, The MIT Press and Goodreads for my free copy!
I really did find this book very, very interesting. A lot of fun (and gross) facts. That is a warning to anyone grossed out by medical procedures, illnesses with all the yucky symptoms and the like. This book had me intrigued, for the most part. I think toward the end, I was just trying to get through it. I love books with information like this. Learning is how we grow, but there is just so much in this book, I just wanted to finish it. I definitely learned a lot and recommend it if you like this kind of stuff. The print was pretty small so even when I felt like I was reading a lot, page wise, it was taking a while. I started a fun fiction book while I was reading this just when I needed a break from all the disease talk. I will say that I liked this book and recommend it. Happy reading! 🤒💉💊🩹🩺🩻🩼 Thank you to the author, Richard Conniff, The MIT Press and Goodreads for my free copy!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews