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The Devil's Flu: The World's Deadliest Influenza Epidemic and the Scientific Hunt for the Virus That Caused It
A gripping account of the 1918 flu pandemic and the modern-day hunt for this elusive and deadly virus
In 1918, a flu virus more lethal than any that has come along since swept through the world, from the remotest villages in Arctic climates to crowded U.S.cities to the battlefields of Europe, killing forty million people. Yet, despite its devastating toll and the probability that other deadly pandemics await on the horizon, it was relegated to a footnote in history. The Devil's Flu is the extraordinary story of 1918's forgotten tragedy and of the global scientific community's effort to avert another such disaster.
The 1918 flu still so intrigues and frightens experts in the field that in 1998, a group of respected scientists journeyed to the Norwegian Arctic Circle in search of the mysterious killer. In The Devil's Flu, Davies captures the excitement of the hunt and the intense rivalries within the scientific community, and paints a vivid portrait of the eccentric scientists bent on capturing the prize information that could hold the key to our future safety. And as far as the next pandemic is concerned, scientists agree: it's not a question of if, but when.
In 1918, a flu virus more lethal than any that has come along since swept through the world, from the remotest villages in Arctic climates to crowded U.S.cities to the battlefields of Europe, killing forty million people. Yet, despite its devastating toll and the probability that other deadly pandemics await on the horizon, it was relegated to a footnote in history. The Devil's Flu is the extraordinary story of 1918's forgotten tragedy and of the global scientific community's effort to avert another such disaster.
The 1918 flu still so intrigues and frightens experts in the field that in 1998, a group of respected scientists journeyed to the Norwegian Arctic Circle in search of the mysterious killer. In The Devil's Flu, Davies captures the excitement of the hunt and the intense rivalries within the scientific community, and paints a vivid portrait of the eccentric scientists bent on capturing the prize information that could hold the key to our future safety. And as far as the next pandemic is concerned, scientists agree: it's not a question of if, but when.
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2000
163 people want to read
About the author
Pete Davies
19 books2 followersPete Davies is best known as the author of All Played Out, the classic account of the Italian World Cup in 1990 that's been continuously in print ever since it hit the bestseller list. He's also the author of three novels, and eight other works of non-fiction.
Davies has written about sport and politics, history and science, travel and weather. He's flown in hurricanes over the Gulf of Mexico and off the Carolinas, chased tornadoes on the Great Plains, and followed stories around the world from Central America to East Africa, from India to Japan, from Hong Kong to the high Arctic.
Davies was born in 1959 and lives in West Yorkshire, England. He was prolifically productive in the 1990's, but after American Road came out in 2002, he disappeared from view. In deteriorating health, he was told in 2006 that he had two years left to live.
Davies defied that diagnosis, and in 2017 - after fifteen years of silence - he published his novel Playlist. A wildly inventive comedy, Playlist marks a stunning and unexpected return to print for one of the most original voices of his generation.
Davies has written about sport and politics, history and science, travel and weather. He's flown in hurricanes over the Gulf of Mexico and off the Carolinas, chased tornadoes on the Great Plains, and followed stories around the world from Central America to East Africa, from India to Japan, from Hong Kong to the high Arctic.
Davies was born in 1959 and lives in West Yorkshire, England. He was prolifically productive in the 1990's, but after American Road came out in 2002, he disappeared from view. In deteriorating health, he was told in 2006 that he had two years left to live.
Davies defied that diagnosis, and in 2017 - after fifteen years of silence - he published his novel Playlist. A wildly inventive comedy, Playlist marks a stunning and unexpected return to print for one of the most original voices of his generation.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 23, 2007
My great grandmother died in the 1918 Flu Epidemic and I have always been interested in it as a result. Book was interesting in how it discussed historical flu and current flu isues. Very scientific and I'm not (wish I was) but the author took time to explain many of the scientific concepts discussed and used easy to understand analagies. Also, not overly lengthy but there are a few parts where he could have been more concise.
October 21, 2008
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina put me in the mood to ponder how prepared I am -- not to mention my community -- for a natural disaster. But, in the Pacific Northwest, natural disasters are thankfully few and far between.
Oh, sure, there's the occasional minor flood or volcano. And apparently, we're in prime time for an earthquake. But nothing really scares me like a pandemic of avian influenza. The Devil's Flu, by Pete Davies did nothing to alleviate my fears.
This story of the science and politics behind the search for the virus that caused the flu pandemic of 1918, is nothing short of a horror show. This book would be useful for a variety of research projects, or just to raise your awareness of the value of public health agencies. Not to mention: a good scare.
Oh, sure, there's the occasional minor flood or volcano. And apparently, we're in prime time for an earthquake. But nothing really scares me like a pandemic of avian influenza. The Devil's Flu, by Pete Davies did nothing to alleviate my fears.
This story of the science and politics behind the search for the virus that caused the flu pandemic of 1918, is nothing short of a horror show. This book would be useful for a variety of research projects, or just to raise your awareness of the value of public health agencies. Not to mention: a good scare.
January 1, 2012
This book is about the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. It discusses the epidemic and how it spread. It talks about the microbiology of the influenza virus. It also discusses the modern search for remnants of the virus. Some researchers found it in old tissue samples and by digging up graves of people who died of the disease in the arctic.
October 21, 2021
No index!
Quotable:
The whole basis of a human being is just four letters of nucleic acid. There are 13,0900 letters on the flu virus genome, and we have several billion. So we’re much more amazing – and yet we can’t stop the flu. We’ve gone to the moon, yet we can’t stop the flu – and I wonder if we ever will be able to stop it. We know more about it than any other virus except HIV – and yet we hardly know anything.
One David Hoffman of Philadelphia, arrested for being drunk, told the court he’d heard that whisky was good for flu, so he’d ‘proceeded to stave off the dreadful disease with a vengeance’. For his trouble, Hoffman ‘was allowed to contribute $6 to the city’.
Science is a cut-throat trade; success means reputation, and success and reputation together mean funding. Asked if science was competitive, [Jeffery K.] Taubenberger told me emphatically, ‘Sure.’ He shrugged and said, ‘Scientists are people, right?’
Quotable:
The whole basis of a human being is just four letters of nucleic acid. There are 13,0900 letters on the flu virus genome, and we have several billion. So we’re much more amazing – and yet we can’t stop the flu. We’ve gone to the moon, yet we can’t stop the flu – and I wonder if we ever will be able to stop it. We know more about it than any other virus except HIV – and yet we hardly know anything.
One David Hoffman of Philadelphia, arrested for being drunk, told the court he’d heard that whisky was good for flu, so he’d ‘proceeded to stave off the dreadful disease with a vengeance’. For his trouble, Hoffman ‘was allowed to contribute $6 to the city’.
Science is a cut-throat trade; success means reputation, and success and reputation together mean funding. Asked if science was competitive, [Jeffery K.] Taubenberger told me emphatically, ‘Sure.’ He shrugged and said, ‘Scientists are people, right?’
April 3, 2020
Although this book was written more than 20 years ago, about a virus that raged more than 100 years ago, it feels very timely. The Spanish Flu epidemic in 1917-1918 killed millions of people around the world, and there wasn’t much that could be done to stop it. Medical facilities were overwhelmed, morgues couldn’t keep up, businesses ground to a halt. Everyone knew someone who was affected. Decades later, scientists competed with each other to try to isolate a copy of that virus, in the hope that it could provide information that might be useful the next time such a killer flu breaks out. Although COVID-19 is a corona virus rather than an influenza virus, the spread and the impact are similar. This book is both ominous and optimistic. Can someone convince Pete Davies to write an update?
May 11, 2022
As we close out Year Two of a pandemic, this isn't a great book to pick up. The author discusses the 1918 flu, as well as other near-misses. He also had dire predictions for the next pandemic. Ta-freaking-da, here we are.
I can't decide whether to recommend this book. On the one hand, there's the shock factor of the statistics and stories in the first half of the book. The second half of the book is more about the search for the source of the infection and why it was so lethal, which sounds really fascinating, but wasn't.
I can't decide whether to recommend this book. On the one hand, there's the shock factor of the statistics and stories in the first half of the book. The second half of the book is more about the search for the source of the infection and why it was so lethal, which sounds really fascinating, but wasn't.
April 30, 2020
This book was excellent. I highly recommend it, especially with the current pandemic. It really makes you wonder how we could be so unprepared in 2020. This book does not mention Covid-19 as it was not around when it was published. You will however learn a great deal about viruses and gain more insight into previous pandemics. If you are on quarantine like me, take some time and read a very interesting book.
March 6, 2020
Lots of good science in this nonfiction book. Seemed to jump all over the place, but it got the basics right. Learned a few things that filled in the flu history.
April 8, 2014
The data was SO intriguing - the writing, was a bit stunted. Sometimes the author dwelt on certain researchers' qualities a bit much and the story stalled.
I was reading for data content and timelines. It met my needs!
I was reading for data content and timelines. It met my needs!
December 5, 2016
I wish more of the general public knew the history of this virus & could appreciate why we have annual influenza vaccines, but so many people still think flu=stomach bug. Maybe a few more will read this & become informed. I found it to be very thorough.
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June 8, 2009Time to refresh my interest in infectious diseases!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews