Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present

A “brilliant and sobering” (Paul Kennedy, Wall Street Journal) look at the history and human costs of pandemic outbreaks

As seen on “60 Minutes”
 
The World Economic Forum #1 book to read for context on the coronavirus outbreak
 
This sweeping exploration of the impact of epidemic diseases looks at how mass infectious outbreaks have shaped society, from the Black Death to today, and in a new preface addresses the global threat of COVID-19. In a clear and accessible style, Frank M. Snowden reveals the ways that diseases have not only influenced medical science and public health, but also transformed the arts, religion, intellectual history, and warfare. 

A multidisciplinary and comparative investigation of the medical and social history of the major epidemics, this volume touches on themes such as the evolution of medical therapy, plague literature, poverty, the environment, and mass hysteria. In addition to providing historical perspective on diseases such as smallpox, cholera, and tuberculosis, Snowden examines the fallout from recent epidemics such as HIV/AIDS, SARS, and Ebola and the question of the world’s preparedness for the next generation of diseases.

Author: Frank M. Snowden
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 05/01/2020
Pages: 608
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.85lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.70d
ISBN: 9780300256390

About the Author
Frank M. Snowden is Andrew Downey Orrick Professor Emeritus of History and History of Medicine at Yale University. His previous books include The Conquest of Malaria: Italy, 1900-1962 and Naples in the Time of Cholera, 1884-1911.