Quiet Killers: The Fall and Rise of Deadly Diseases

by Robert Baker

With bird flu a very present threat, this is a timely and important look at the impact of quiet killers through the ages. In 1658 Oliver Cromwell, having brought a king to execution, and risen to power, died from malaria when he refused to take the Devil?s Bark, the quinine compound produced in a Catholic colony, which could have cured him. Like many other infectious diseases, malaria was endemic in Britain until the twentieth century, when it and other diseases seemed to be vanquished by science. Yet now the trend for those diseases seems to be some infectious agents are becoming resistant to nearly all available antibiotics; differences in travel and social behaviour spread infections more widely; and, with changes in climate, diseases are either being described for the first time, or appearing in previously unaffected areas. But do we need some deadly diseases to stimulate our immunity? Has humankind depended on infection to drive evolution? How vulnerable are we now? Writer and infectious diseases specialist Dr Robert Baker takes a fascinating look at the history of deadly diseases, and discusses their future impact in a changing world.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

246 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2008

About the author

Dr Robert Baker teaches at the University of Exeter

Reviews

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although now a few years old, this was interesting and informative, given the current Covid times. The author details past instances of mass death from diseases and how they were dealt with at the time. Current (at time of writing) outbreaks are discussed, then he looks at how viruses might attack in the future. A bit technical in parts, scary in others, but made me grateful these scientists work to find vaccines and cures.

[Retrobot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing wasn't great.
Author said that some topics would be explained in more detailed or just explained but when they were, they were explained very poorly with very little information before moving on.
Seemed to jump from one topic to another.
Nonetheless, I enjoy reading anything about diseases so I still remotely enjoyed the book.

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fascinating volume stemming from my generation's morbid fear of germs. Tals about how plagues and epidemics circle back around and strike their populations again, just when we think it's safe to take off the biohazard suits...heh heh heh.