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Patient Zero: A Curious History of the World's Worst Diseases
From the masters of storytelling-meets-science and co-authors of Quackery, Patient Zero tells the long and fascinating history of disease outbreaks—how they start, how they spread, the science that lets us understand them, and how we race to destroy them before they destroy us.
Written in the authors’ lively and accessible style, chapters include page-turning medical stories about a particular disease or virus—smallpox, Bubonic plague, polio, HIV—that combine “Patient Zero” narratives, or the human stories behind outbreaks, with historical examinations of missteps, milestones, scientific theories, and more.
Learn the tragic stories of Patient Zeros throughout history, such as Mabalo Lokela, who contracted Ebola while on vacation in 1976, and the Lewis Baby on London’s Broad Street, the first to catch cholera in an 1854 outbreak that led to a major medical breakthrough. Interspersed are origin stories of a different sort—how a rye fungus in 1951 turned a small village in France into a phantasmagoric scene reminiscent of Burning Man. Plus the uneasy history of human autopsy, how the HIV virus has been with us for at least a century, and more.
Written in the authors’ lively and accessible style, chapters include page-turning medical stories about a particular disease or virus—smallpox, Bubonic plague, polio, HIV—that combine “Patient Zero” narratives, or the human stories behind outbreaks, with historical examinations of missteps, milestones, scientific theories, and more.
Learn the tragic stories of Patient Zeros throughout history, such as Mabalo Lokela, who contracted Ebola while on vacation in 1976, and the Lewis Baby on London’s Broad Street, the first to catch cholera in an 1854 outbreak that led to a major medical breakthrough. Interspersed are origin stories of a different sort—how a rye fungus in 1951 turned a small village in France into a phantasmagoric scene reminiscent of Burning Man. Plus the uneasy history of human autopsy, how the HIV virus has been with us for at least a century, and more.
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Published July 15, 2022
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August 19, 2024
The title of this book is not nearly as telling as the subtitle; patient zero per se does not talk about the diseases or their methods of contagion or whatever. I'm sure that this is not the topic for many readers, but it was very interesting and informative! I already knew a whole lot of this come on but some of the details were captivating. And I really liked being reminded!
For instance, Ebola, the disease, is terrifying, but the national media really addressed more the parts that make one scared than the true situation. The end of the book got more into history and what we have discovered about disease, viruses, bacteria, pathogens in general, and the science around all of it. Some of the background and well known diseases- such as rabies- was interesting and enlightening.
Well, this review has been somewhat rambling, but I think I stuck all the pertinent points. If you're interested in medicine and the history, read the book; you'll like it.
For instance, Ebola, the disease, is terrifying, but the national media really addressed more the parts that make one scared than the true situation. The end of the book got more into history and what we have discovered about disease, viruses, bacteria, pathogens in general, and the science around all of it. Some of the background and well known diseases- such as rabies- was interesting and enlightening.
Well, this review has been somewhat rambling, but I think I stuck all the pertinent points. If you're interested in medicine and the history, read the book; you'll like it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review