Pox: The Life and Near Death of a Very Social Disease

by Kevin Brown

From almost the time when man first discovered the pleasures of sin, he also experienced the torments of the Pox. Drawing on references from art and literature, stories of famous sufferers and medical documents, this book presents the history of syphilis and gonorrhoea, and their treatment, from the Renaissance to the antibiotic age.

288 pages

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Kevin Brown is an expert on the history of health and medicine. He has written and lectured extensively at home in the UK and abroad, on land and at sea on a wide range of topics linked to medical and maritime history. He is Archivist to Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Curator of the Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum, St Mary’s Hospital London.

Reviews

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the history of syphilis following it from when it was first recorded in Europe to how it spread and was then finally controlled by antibiotics and how it's making a comeback now modern society is proving resilient to the drugs that were supposed to cure all ills. This was well written and informative and I found it absolutely fascinating from a social history point of view.