Uncovering the Impact of Viruses and Plagues Throughout History: An Exploration of the Past, Present, and Future

Clyde LeBonz: Note: I did not purchase this book from Amazon, as I prefer to support local, independent bookstores whenever possible.

In general, this topic is fascinating. The first two chapters are extremely dense for someone not in the medical/research community, and would benefit from just a couple pages reviewing the basics of cell structure. The author's credentials on viruses appear to be extremely strong, but his knowledge of history is somewhat less so.

One example was my disappointment in finding no exploration of the most consequential plagues in western history, which ravaged classical Athens during the Peloponnesian War with Sparta. This plague killed over 100,000 Athenians, including Pericles, at a time when Athens was engaged in an existential struggle. Although the historian Thucydides described many of the symptoms, the specific cause of the disease has never been unambiguously identified. I would have welcomed the author's perspective on this historic event.

United States on Feb 01, 2022

なんちゃって医師: ウイルス免疫学の大御所の著したポピュラーサイエンス本である。著者の高名ぶりとJared Diamondのベストセラーを意識したようなタイトルから期待が高まる。歴史から免疫学からウイルス学から将来の展望に至るまで縦横無尽に語られ面白く勉強できた。しかし疲れるのである。まるで査読付き論文を読まされるような隙の無さなのである。著者の性格なのであろうか。論文でなく物語を期待した小生には読了にかなりの時間を要した。

Japan on Dec 04, 2020

Apollonia.: Informative and well written book. However, the only criticism I have is this : it needs to be updated.
The book covers the main plagues and pandemics but it seems to concentrated on what recent viruses are doing to America.
Anyway, as a medic I recommend it.

United Kingdom on Aug 24, 2020

Rajiv Chopra: I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in a brief history of virus (and prion) based diseases since the outbreak of smallpox.

Michael Oldstone does not write about outbreaks like The Black Plague so, for those interested in that topic will have to look elsewhere.

I do like his introductory chapters in which he describes the mechanism of infection. For those who would like to get a basic understanding of this mechanism, I recommend these chapters.

The author has neatly divided the book into chapters in which he writes about each disease, the outbreak, and the search for medication.

Michael Oldstone highlights the conflicts between business, politics and science. The one topic he mentions a few time is the possibility of viruses being used for bio-warfare. The prospect of bioterrorism is worrying and is something we should be prepared for.

India on Jun 02, 2020

loren: Muy buen libro introductorio en el mundo de las plagas y los virus. Es ameno y nos enseña los aspectos básicos de lo que es un virus, esas pequeñisimas "criaturas" ni vivas ni muertas que han hecho tanto daño a lo largo de la historia pero que en el fondo hacen lo que todos hacemos, buscarnos la vida e intentar prosperar. Te hace preguntarte si quizás el peor virus de todos no seamos los humanos.

Spain on Apr 01, 2020

Susan Martin: I highly recommend purchasing this book. It is very difficult to put it down when you start reading it. This writer has done an excellent job documenting in detail many of the killer viruses that have affected the world and how politics and religion impeded the success of diagnosing and treating the patients who suffered. It was intriguing to read the stories of people throughout history who treated these patients and the many personal accounts of people and events that explain in interesting detail about the ones who lived and the ones who died. You will have a much better understanding of killer viruses and become versed on the history of the diagnoses and treatment. Don’t hesitate purchasing this book if it is available. You will be pleased and it will greatly expand your knowledge if you are in the medical profession or not. It is very easy to read and understand for anyone despite their background.

United States on Mar 14, 2020

bowonwing: Other reviewers have said less than nice things about Professor (at the Scirpps Research Institute) Oldstone's book. I think these reviewers are missing the point of this vital book, which must be read.

Chapter 15 "Mad Cow Disease and Englishmen: Spongiform Encephalopathies-Prion Disease," is worth the price of admission alone.
There is a one and one half page quote by Dr. Stanley Prusiner (see my review of his book, "Madness and Memory"), which should be read by everyone who eats beef.

On page 300 we have Prusiner "testified before the U.S. Congress and wrote an op-ed piece stating that the testing (for mad cow) used in this country is inadequate and that every cow should be tested."

Further there is a 2005 quote, where he states:
"Boneless steaks and roasts are probably safe to eat. The riskiest meats are ground beef, hot dogs, taco filling, and pizza toppings - the things children love. These products can come out of 'advanced meat recovery' machines ... [S]till, there's no law against them, even though a USDA study in 2002 found that only 12 percent of the processing plants it examined consistently produced meat from these machines that was free of...

United States on Oct 04, 2016

Nick: This is a good read if you are interested in viruses. The early chapters are a bit technical in describing how viruses work and how the body defends (or otherwise) itself. But this can be skimmed if you are not scientific as there are some good summary paragraphs in the text.

The descriptions of each virus and how it affects and has affected human and non human life and history are top class.

For example, how smallpox has been indicated in human life since antiquity, through the affect on American Civil war to modern terror worries. How Lincoln survived the disease, Edward Jenner and Cowpox, variolation and vaccination, and anti viral treatment example, eradication of the disease and so on. I am glad to say that these chapters are not too detailed nor too scientific (I am an ex-scientist) and provide marvellous high level reading.

Recommended if you take an interest in how viruses work, how we defend ourselves and how they have affected the world.

United Kingdom on Dec 30, 2013

K. Conover: So I like geeky books. I keep a copy of Bacon's Novum Organon in my car in case I get stuck somewhere without a book. I'm a semi-academic physician and I've got degrees in environmental sciences and music and "minored" (as close as they had to minors at my college) in social psychology and physics. So I looked forward to reading this. After all, I graduated from college in 1976 and figured I could use a brush-up on modern virology. After two chapters, however, I gave up on the book and won't read the rest of it.

Why?

Because the writing is so bad. Let me rephrase that: either the writing OR the editing is so bad. A good editor with cojones could have forced the author to do a better job... but didn't. The story has great opportunities for storytelling, starting with the historical discovery of viruses... but that's not the way it plays out in the book. No drama, no excitement, for what can be a very exciting story.

Rather than providing a staged development of the story of viruses and plagues and history, the first two chapters repeat the same information. Now some repetition is OK when material is likely to be new to readers, but you really need to approach...

United States on Jun 10, 2012