عودة الموت الأسود: أخطر قاتل على مر العصور

by Christopher Duncan, كريستوفر دنكان, فايقة جرجس حنا (ترجمة)

ظهر الطاعون فجأةً في جزيرة صقلية عام ١٣٤٧، وانتشَرَ بسرعةٍ هائلة ليُودِي بحياةِ نصفِ سكان أوروبا في غضون ثلاث سنوات فحسب، مكتسِبًا سمعته كأخطر وأبشع قاتلٍ على مر العصور. فما إنْ أحكَمَ «الموت الأسود» — كما عُرِف فيما بعدُ — قبضتَه على فرنسا، حتى انطلَقَ يبثُّ الرعبَ في نفوس سكان القارة الأوروبية كلها طوالَ ما يزيد على ثلاثة قرون كاملة. وكان طاعون لندن العظيم هو آخِر الضربات الكبرى، وبعدها ببضع سنوات، اختفى الطاعون فجأةً، تمامًا كما ظهَرَ فجأةً.

يُمِيط المؤلِّفان اللثامَ عن مسبِّبات ذلك المرض اللعين، وعن القصص الإنسانية المأساوية المختفية في أعماق السجلات التاريخية؛ فنجد قصصًا لأبطالٍ لم ينالوا التقديرَ اللائق، وآباءٍ مكلومين، وعشَّاقٍ مفترِقين، وأناسٍ استغلُّوا معاناةَ الآخرين لإشباعِ جشعهم.

وعلى الرغم من أن «الموت الأسود» كامنٌ حاليًّا، فإنه يمكن أن يعاوِد الظهورَ في أي وقت، وليس هناك ما يدعونا إلى الظن أنه اختفى إلى الأبد. وفي ظلِّ مجتمعاتِ اليوم الكثيرةِ التنقُّل والحركة، ستكون عواقبُ ظهوره ثانية كارثيةً بكلِّ معنى الكلمة.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, Medieval, Medical, Medicine, Health

300 pages

First published July 7, 2004

About the author

Christopher Duncan is a multifaceted creative professional whose work spans writing, speaking, consulting, music, video production, and technology. With a diverse background, he has worn many hats throughout his career, from musician to software developer and entrepreneur.
Earlier in his journey, Duncan performed as a guitarist in smoky bars before transitioning into the world of technology, where he worked as a software developer. A self-described "reformed serial entrepreneur," he has also led sales and marketing ventures and navigated the highs and lows of several dot-com startups. His varied experiences have shaped his approach to creativity, blending technical expertise with artistic expression.

Reviews

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this would be an entertaining book even to people who haven't spent several happy hours playing Plague inc. Hugely recommended to anyone whose eyes brighten at the mention of, um, infectious pathogens.

[Andrea Hickman Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It was a fascinating look at what the Black Death really was and what that could mean for future epidemics. I thought that for a popular science book they had a nice balance between science and narrative. I could have done with a few more references, but I'll certainly be looking up the ones that they mentioned so as to better evaluate their argument.

On the whole I found their argument well-presented, clear and convincing. I really do think it's a pity that popular science books tend not to be heavily referenced - I really don't think that the general reading public would notice and for those of us with a more scientific bent it would help in evaluating the scholarship and reliability of the author(s) and the arguments.

[Seanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book about the Black Death ever. I want to hug it and love it and go on an epidemiological tour of Europe using it as a guide. The anthropological data is chilling and insightful.

[Nemo ☠️ (pagesandprozac) · Rating 5 out of 5]

well researched, well written, and scared the shit out of me. would recommend.

[Imbunche · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theory presented in this book is truly fascinating however not entirely convincing. I find it very hard to believe a pathogen like that could simply disappear without a trace when we, even with current medicine, struggle with eliminating much less infectious diseases. The arguments against yersinia pestis are however quite convincing and thought provoking.

[micusiowo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ciekawe poznawczo.

[Necol or Eli Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good portrayal of the history of the black death and included future worries we might have to consider regarding other infections

[Mariam Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب بحثي ممتاز، هذا اقل ما يمكن وصفه به، أعتقد أنه من أكثر الكتب البحثية تميزا، وصف دقيق، متابعة لصيقة لأخطر ما هدد حياة البشر على الأرض، جهود عظيمة قام بها كتاب هذا الكتاب، إذا لم تكن قد قرأته بعد فيجب عليك أن تسرع ليكون أول ما ستقرأه تاليا.

[Jule Van Wilde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a scientist. I can't tell you whether to believe anything this book claims. As someone who never considered bubonic plague and the Black Death to be one and the same though, (it's because of the two different names; though one describes a disease and one an event, I simply did not connect them,) I'm not a hard sell.

With that disclaimer out of the the way it's an entertaining read. Especially for anyone with an interest in history and a sense of humour. The story of the Black Death, how Europe suffered and survived such a horror puts so much into perspective.

Unfortunately, in the last eighty to a hundred pages the book makes a direct attempt as well, transforming into a speculative fearmongering fiction the likes of which we see in every zombie flick ever. I was absolutely hooked up until that point. It's in the title and I should have known, but it wasn't what I was interested in. I don't consider it a huge detractor, heavy handed as it was, but neither was it necessary. It's a shame to think that maybe this was the crux of the entire book. I'm as much a mind reader as I am a scientist though, so while that is my suspicion it will not stop me from highly recommending this read. I came away having learned a lot and with much to think about.

[Zainab mnsf · Rating 4 out of 5]

دراسة اشبه ما تكون برسالة ماجستير او اطروحة دكتوراه تتناول خفايا الوباء الاعظم والاكثر رعبا في تأريخ البشرية وهو الطاعون الذي تفشى بشكل واسع في اصقاع المعمورة بحدود القرن الثالث عشر والرابع عشر من عام 1347 الى عام 1670 والذي قضى تقريبا على ثلث سكان الكرة الارضية في ذلك الوقت . الطاعون الذي جعل المدن المسكونة تتحول الى مناطق اشباح مهجورة في اشهر قليلة .

[Jenifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book contains relatively few scientific references to support the authors' theory of a viral cause for the black death, and they discount the effects of pneumonic plague with little evidence for doing so. It lacks a clear narrative and the tone is rather self-congratulatory.

[Jen Pattison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good analysis that demolishes the idea that the Black Death was caused by fleas on rats. It may seem alarming that such an epidemic could happen again, but we do benefit from huge advances in medical science since the last visitations of plague in Britain in the 17th century.

[Aeham · Rating 4 out of 5]

- من جزيرة صقلية عام (1347) انطلق وباء قاتل أحكم قبضته على خناق أوربا لما يزيد عن ثلاثة قرون كاملة عرف باسم الطاعون (الموت الأسود) أخطر قاتل عرفته البشرية عبر تاريخها والرعب الذي أنهكها طويلاً حيث تمكن من قتل ما يقارب نصف سكان أوربا وتدمير بنيتها التجارية، الصناعية، الزراعية والسكانية تدميراً متكرراً ..

يعمل الكاتبان على تقديم دراسة تاريخية وتوثيقية شاملة لعدد من الطواعين الفتاكة التي ضربت أنحاء مختلفة من القارة الأوربية، كان أشهرها طاعون لندن العظيم عام (1665) حيث يشير المؤلفان إلى أنه عندما بدأ البشر العيش على مقربة من بعضهم في المدن والقرى، وتنشطت وإزدحمت طرق التجارة، ومع التطور المتسارع في وسائل النقل واختصارها المسافات والزمن توفرت الظروف المثالية تماماً للظهور الحتمي للأوبئة القاتلة، حيث شكلت حركة القوارب بالإضافة للقوافل التجارية العصب الرئيسي لعملية إنتقال العدوى من مناطق شكلت ما يشبه المستودع المستدام لها على مدار ما يزيد عن قرون ثلاثة كما هو الحال مع فرنسا حسب ما يذكر الكاتبان لأسباب متعددة تتعلق بطبيعة مناخها المناسب لإستمرارية نشاط العامل الممرض، فقد لاحظا عبر متابعتهما للعديد من سجلات الأبرشيات التي شهدت هجمات الطاعون على حالات هجوع مؤقت تخضع لها العدوى مع دخول فصل الشتاء وإشتداد البرد ..

يتحدث المؤلفان عن آلية عمل البكتيريا والجراثيم، حيث يصفان العدوى بالصراع، صراع بين العامل المرضي المعدي والعائل الذي قد يكون إنساناً أو حيواناً، يكافح الأول من أجل البقاء والتكاثر، فيما يشن الثاني حرب بقاء عبر الجهاز المناعي الذي يمكن تشبيهه بالدفاع الحربي المصمم خصيصاً بهدف العثور على هذا العالم الممرض وتدميره، كما يؤكدان على أن العدوى أمر جوهري للغاية في استراتيجية النجاة والإستمرار للأمراض المعدية، لأنه في نهاية المطاف سوف يتخلص العائل من العدوى أو يموت، ويذكران أيضاً أن الإنسان في حرب مع الأمراض المعدية منذ فجر التاريخ، وحتى عهد قريب كانت معركة من طرف واحد إلى حد بعيد، أما اليوم فأن ترسانة أسلحتنا الدوائية والوقائية التي تقاوم الأمراض المعدية تواصل النمو وبتنا نكسب بعض المعارك لكن الحرب مستمرة ..
كما يذكر الكاتبان أن العالم يزداد تقارباً وأن أعداد كبيرة تنخرط في حركة دائمة واسعة النطاق تشمل كافة أرجاء الكوكب محتكون بالآلاف من الفايروسات التي لم يسبق لها أن اقتربت من الإنسان من قبل، بعضها قادر على تخطي الحاجز النوعي وإصابته، وأنه على الرغم من أننا نملك حالياً معرفة أكبر من أي وقت مضى، وعدداً من اللقاحات والعلاجات الفعالة، وخبراء متمرسين في علوم الأوبئة والبيولوجيا الجزيئية، ومجموعة من الاختبارات التشخيصية والتقنيات الحديثة التي من شأنها تحديد سلالة أي فايروس جديد عقب أشهر من ظهوره، إلا أن الرعب من أن يظهر مرض جديد، ربما طاعون آخر يهدد الحياة البشرية يظل كما كان سابقاً ..

يتسأل المؤلفان أيضاً إذا ما كان البشر قد تعلموا الدرس من تفشي الأوبئة ويقولان أن السلطات الصحية في العالم تدرك جيداً مخاطر الأمراض الناشئة، ويؤكدان أنه حالما يتم التعرف على طرق انتقال العدوى وتحديد طبيعة المرض، فسيتعين في الحال اتخاذ تدابير مكافحة وسلامة صارمتين، أما السر فيكمن في تحديد فترتي الحضانة وانتقال العدوى، وينبغي أن تتوافر المساعدة والتعاون الدوليان الكاملان، ولا بد أن تعمل فرق من علماء الأوبئة والأحياء الدقيقة بلا انقطاع على مدار الساعة لتحديد خصائص المرض الجديد، حتى يمكن التنبؤ بانتشار الوباء وعواقبه، وبناء على ذلك تتخذ التدابير المناسبة ..

كما يطلقان عبر كتابهما تحذيراً عالمياً مفاده أن الحرب الجرثومية البيولوجية تشكل بديلاً رخيصا للقنبلة النووية في الوقت الحاضر ومستقبلاً لأن الأسلحة النووية باهظة التكلفة وصعبة النقل وسهلة الرصد، وأن القوى العظمى في العالم لطالما عملت في الخفاء لعقود عديدة على ابتكار الأسلحة البيولوجية ..

أخيراً وعلى الرغم من أن الطاعون أو الموت الأسود قد أختفى منذ نهايات القرن السابع عشر، إلا أنه يمكن أن يعاود الظهور في أي وقت، وفي ظل مجتمع اليوم الكثير التنقل والحركة، ستكون عواقب ظهوره ثانية كارثية بكل معنى الكلمة ..

- الكاتبان سوزان سكوت وكريستوفر دنكان ..
- كتاب عودة الموت الأسود ..
- إصدار الدار الليبرالية لعام (2021) ..

[Mattthew McKinney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I've had this book on my shelf for about a decade now and decided to start reading due to current events. Overall a well researched, if often repetitive and overly detailed accounting of the spread of the Black Death through the world. The alternative explanation for the cause of the Black Death - that it was viral - is interesting, although subsequent molecular tests of victims have put a nail in the coffin of this theory. Nevertheless, that doesn't detract from it as a compelling read. Finally, the last part of the book contains some of its most compelling elements - theories of how the Black Death, or something worse, might reemerge today. Overall I learned a lot and seeing the details of a truly devastating disease puts modern events into context. My favorite passage occurs in the first few pages as it's eerily relevant today. The authors discuss the emergence of SARS in 2003 - "Health authorities struggled to cope, whole nations were quarantined from nonessential travel, airlines faced bankruptcy, national economies were disrupted and there was real fear of the collapse of the international financial markets....Why did a relatively insignificant health scare cause international alarm and panic?...we live among a population thirsty for panic, and eager to hear the message of doom, demanding these warnings...Declan McCullagh wrote: "SARS is the first epidemic of the Internet age, preying on the fact that as information becomes more communicable, rumors become more communicable too....prompting runs on canned foods and toilet paper." But to some, a worldwide health threat might herald...global catastrophe and threaten the existence of humanity.

[L.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kolejna książka, której autorzy dochodzą do wniosku, że czarna śmierć to nie była dżuma dymienicza, co racjonalnie uzasadniają (być może była to dżuma krwotoczna). Książka jest ciekawa (choć biorąc pod uwagę, że to już co najmniej trzecia jaką na ten temat przeczytałem w ostatnich latach, to może trochę mniej ;) ) i dobrze się słucha/czyta. Nie uważam też żeby pierwsza połowa przynudzała, moim zdaniem jest równie ciekawa. Ale ogólnie jest też napisana w sposób taki... bardzo popularnonaukowy ;) tzn. lekki, dla każdego czytelnika... Dla mnie byłoby to może trochę zbyt... hmm, uproszczone, gdyby nie to, że jak wyżej - to nie pierwsza książka, którą czytam o dżumie, więc może i dobrze że była napisana inaczej, bo w przeciwnym razie może bym się znudził ;)
Ciekawe są też wątki poboczne, np. ten na temat wirusa HIV.

(czytana/słuchana: 8-18.09.2023)
4+/5 [7/10]

[Pebro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Czarna śmierć, czyli dżuma krwotoczna to nieco zapomniany, ale niestety skuteczny i stosunkowo szybki zabójca. Zdarzają się fragmenty nieco przydługawe, ale ogólnie czyta się dość szybko. Dzięki książce moja wiedza na temat chorób zakaźnych została znacznie poszerzona. Jeśli nie wiecie co łączy dżumę sprzed 600 lat i HIV to warto przeczytać i się dowiedzieć!

[Marcela Montilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book years ago, and it has always stuck with me! The arguments presented about the origins of the plague and the way history is written, willwill forever change your perspective on the plague. This book has literally made me pick fights with strangers, and I scream anytime someone blame rats.

Super easy ready and very captivating!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://podkoldra-deana.blogspot.com/...

[Filip Sulima · Rating 2 out of 5]

Moim zdaniem książka jest nie chronologicznie ułożona, źle się czytało i jest bardzo monotonna- moim zdaniem. Nie polecam

[Karen Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off as a fascinating and engaging read that while it lacked specific references, nonetheless drew on historic sources to present a case against the accepted fact that the Bubonic Plague is what raged through Europe, identified also as the Black Plague, for hundreds of years. Instead, the authors set out a persuasive hypothesis that the Bubonic Plague (which also gives rise to the Pneumonic one) is a different and less deadly disease than the horrific Haemorraghic (sp?) Plague. The book explores the history, transmission and effects of this plague, comparing and contrasting it and its spread to that of the Bubonic.Describing the symptoms through first-hand accounts and other recorded documents, the gruesome and terrible suffering of victims is made all too real.

But whereas the first, probably two thirds of the book, is gripping and plausible, the last part descends into the realm of science fiction as the the book adopts a 'what if' approach: what if terrorists start germ warfare? What if another disease begins to spread? What if an infected person boards a plane?etc etc. I couldn't help but feel that the book lost a great deal from this type of narrative style. What was a ripping non-fiction yarn that could largely be forgiven for not being more specific about research and methodology (though the annotated bibliography at the back is useful), spirals into a frustrating and oft repetitive page-filler.

Overall, however, they do argue a very convincing and interesting case that could have been 100 pages shorter.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing look at the Black Death and other emergent diseases and speculation on their return. Through detailed analysis of first-hand accounts, mostly from parish records, the authors lay out a conclusive case that the plague was not the rat-spread bubonic plague, as modern historians have claimed since the early 1900s, but a virus similar to Ebola spread directly from person to person. They also establish, again very convincingly, that this unknown virus had an incubation period of around 25 days, during which time the victim was infectious but did not show symptoms, and that this long duration is what spread the disease so widely and made it difficult to control. Less convincingly (but interestingly), they claim that a certain genetic mutation that grants resistance to HIV, found today in about 1 in 7 Europeans, was selected for by the Black Death.

I give this book 4 stars for information content but 2 stars for quality of writing. Like many books authored by scientists, it is a bit repetitive and in some places unintentionally hilarious. As the title foreshadows, the authors' insistence on personifying the virus leads to some fairly ham-handed melodrama. If you can get through the somewhat stilted first half, the second half lays out some very compelling epidemiology.

[Thomas Wier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott and Duncan make a very strong yet lucid and readable case that the Black Death of the 14th century was not in fact a manifestation of Yersinia pestis, aka bubonic plague. The simple reason is that with the exception of buboes the medieval afflication does not at all resemble the bubonic plague known today. Details drawn from the habitats of rats and fleas as possible vectors and early modern autopsy accounts suggest strongly that it was rather some kind of hemorrhagic fever like Ebola or Marburg virus which, due, to a lengthy incubation period, was able to spread far and wide. The book also draws on important new discoveries about the genetics of HIV to show that modern people resistant to HIV have genetic mutations that were selected for by previous centuries of exposure to hemorrhagic plagues. An all around very interesting book.

[Marie Kelleher]

Medieval historian chiming in here: Not only was the Black Death not "a virus perhaps similar to AIDS and Ebola" (as the synopsis says); IT WAS NOT CAUSED BY A VIRUS, PERIOD. It's a bacterium (y. pestis, if anyone cares). Which means you can kill it with antibiotics. Which is what people do now during the periodic outbreaks that still occur.

Yes, there have been the occasional theories that y. pestis was not responsible (typhus & ebola are two of the perennial favorites). None of them have panned out. Given the nature of the evidence, we can never be 100% certain, but the *preponderance* of the evidence still points to y. pestis.

There are real diseases and other environmental crises that we can legitimately be worried about. This ain't one of 'em.

[Gillian Bourassa]

The first 100 or so pages were dreadfully boring. I can see how that information was necessary for the authors to compile in their research, but they could have spent less time recounting it and moved quicker to the more interesting part of their analysis--a biology and epidemiology-based challenge to conventional historical understanding of the Black Death and subsequent plagues. Their argument makes complete sense, and I hope to incorporate this info the next time I talk about the Black Death with students!

[Lolo Yo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An astonishing account of detective work and history, cleverly informing the public without a preventative medicine background. Non-fiction that reads as a science fiction thriller. Includes all the details of how a disease comes into the human population even, when something of its kind never existed. Very quick read, completed in 1 1/2 days. Page turner that was not put down until falling asleep with the sun rising.

[Andrew Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really liked the fresh take on the Black Death and preceding plagues such as the Justinian. Their evidence points 100% that these were caused by a virus instead of Yesenia Pestis

The final chapter on the scenarios if one of these viruses were to attack today is haunting; if civilization is to survive something like the Black Death I am afraid that we will have to resort to draconian measures

[Inesita Daly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most people believe the plage was caused because of the rats, but this book thinks otherwise. And it gives proof, so much proof! It also gives eye-witness of victims of the Black Death in the medieval time and also shows us what could happen if the Black Death returned. It also showed other deadly possibilities that we haven't considered. I suggest this book for anybody that doesn't want to be blided by common myths and beliefs about the Black Death and apocalyptic possibilities.

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

a fascinating--and scary--idea regarding the Black Death. Was it Bubonic Plague... or a hemorrhagic, viral epidemic that has still not been identified? Sue Scott and Christopher Duncan make a good case for it... gotta wonder if they're right.

[Grumpylibrarian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Super dull. And for a book with subject matter as fascinating as the plague, that's a pretty dire situation.

[Rmschow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating research. Loved it.