Viruses and Epidemics in World History

Since the dawn of civilization, humanity has coexisted with invisible and deadly foes — viruses. Smallpox claimed more lives than all the technological disasters and bloodiest wars of the 20th century; yellow fever prevented Napoleon from creating a colonial empire and nearly impeded the construction of the Panama Canal.

Virologist, Professor Michael Oldstone, based on the testimonies of contemporaries of terrible epidemics and scientists, "microbe hunters", demonstrates how deeply viruses influence human life. You will learn success stories — about heroic doctors who created vaccines for smallpox and yellow fever, overcoming social and religious prejudices, and about the competition between polio vaccines that freed people from the fear of becoming disabled. Of course, the book also includes stories of the ongoing struggle: due to business and government mistakes in collecting donor blood — with an outbreak of hepatitis; due to false information that the measles vaccine causes autism in children — with fear and distrust towards medical professionals and the government. And scientists continue to fight against new threats that, appearing suddenly, like from Pandora's box, remind us that we mistakenly take health for granted.