Microorganisms in the History of Humanity

Igor Olegovich Stoma — Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, physician-infectious disease specialist of the highest category. In 2017-2018, he worked as a visiting researcher at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He has served as a guest lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Southern California (USC). He is the leader of a scientific school on the microbiome in medicine and the author of the first Russian-language books on the topic of the microbiome. From 2020 to 2026, he is the rector of the Gomel State Medical University. He is a member of the Presidium of the Euro-Asian Society for Infectious Diseases. He actively studies the impact of epidemics on the history of humanity. This book — is not a dry textbook, but a journey through the centuries, where microbes are the main heroes of civilization. From the «Black Death», which reshaped the economy of Europe, to the «Spanish flu», which claimed more lives than World War I, the author shows how epidemics broke empires and changed foundations. You will learn why the plague helped give birth to perfumery, how malaria stopped Alexander the Great, and what mosquito nets have to do with the construction of the Panama Canal. Behind every discovery is a human fate. Vladimir Khavkin, who saved millions in India at the cost of his reputation; Lady Mary Montagu, who challenged prejudices to protect against smallpox; John Snow, who traced cholera on a map of London without a microscope. These are stories about how science overcomes fear, religion, and politics. The book is written in the language of a novel but is based on archives. Professor Igor Stoma invites you to see scientists as living people — with weaknesses and courage. For those who want to understand how the invisible world shapes our reality and understand that knowledge is the best protection against fear.