Mapping Epidemics: A Historical Atlas of Disease

by Brent Hoff, Carter Smith

Presents basic information about diseases from anthrax to yellow fever, recounts their history and effects, and offers maps of their incidence and spread.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2000

Reviews

[Thomas Wikman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disease and epidemics play a crucial role in human history. Microorganisms are the rulers of the world. Various diseases decimated populations in the past, decided battles, destroyed kingdoms and empires and controlled human life and happiness and still do. One example of a disease that had a large impact is smallpox which killed 300-500 million people in the twentieth century alone. That is about 7-12% of everyone who died in the 20th century and more than four times more deaths than was caused by all the wars during the 20th century. I should add that since 1979 not a single person has died from smallpox. The study of epidemics, their history and spread geographically is indeed an important one that is easy to forget.

This book focuses on several selected major diseases from the past and provides a large set of maps which aids in visually understanding the spread, impact, and history of various diseases. You can say that this is primarily a Historical Atlas of Disease.

These are the diseases the book discusses: Anthrax, Arboviral Encephalitis, Arenaviral Hemorrhagic Fevers, Cholera, Dengue Fever (DHF), Diphtheria, Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Hemorrhagic Colitis, Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, Influenza, Legionnaire’s Disease, Leprosy, Lyme Disease, Mad Cow Disease, Malaria, Measles, Meningitis, Monkey pox, Plague, Polio, Rabies, Rift Valley Fever, Shigella Dysentery, Smallpox, Syphilis, Trypanosomiasis, Tuberculosis, Typhoid, Typhus, and Yellow Fever. Naturally not covid-19 since this book was written in 2000.

For each disease the book describes the symptoms, the cause (agents), transmission, treatment, prevention and control, and current global distribution. The history of the disease is described in detail, particularly major epidemics and events. Each disease/chapter has several accompanying maps which shows the distribution of the disease in the past as well as the paths the disease took during major epidemics.

At the end of the book there is a chronology of disease which includes hundreds of major historical events related to disease (plague of Galen, plague of Justinian, bubonic plague, smallpox and Native Americans, Spanish flu etc.). The book also contains a list of medical terms.

Reading about empires and their rise and fall and reading about major battles and events in history is interesting. However, if you don’t include disease and epidemics as part of the picture you are missing a lot. The Mongols invaders were aided by the black plague and the European colonizers of America were aided by measles and smallpox when they conquered America. That is just two examples among many of how disease controls human history. Understanding the spread of plagues and disease and how disease emerged, spread, and the paths the disease took, and when the disease first appeared is quite important for a complete understanding of the history of the world and our current world.

Many of the diseases we often believe have existed for ever actually emerged relatively recent in human history as a result of urbanization and the coexistence of cattle and people. Various diseases emerged in different places and spread throughout the world via migration. People belonging to different races and originating from different places also have different levels of resistance to different diseases. Modern medicine has conquered many diseases and has been able to effectively fight disease. However, diseases are continually evolving, and our interconnected world has changed the threat picture. This historical Atlas will help you understand, visually, a little bit better what has happened in the past and what is going on with the human race and the diseases that still plague us.

I should add that this Atlas is just that an “Atlas” with facts, maps and information. There is not much analysis of how the disease impacted history or what caused it to emerge and spread. The medical information is also sparse. However, providing that kind of information is not the purpose of this book. The book is interesting and helps you understand the world a little bit better.

This book will not explain everything you need to know about disease and epidemics or human history, it is a short book. However, it is a quite enlightening book that is easy and fun to read. It is 112 pages long.

[Kayla Berg]

APA Citation: Hoff, B. H., Calisher, C. H., & Smith, C. (2000). Mapping epidemics: a historical atlas of disease. Watts.

Citation: Kayla Berg
Type of Reference: Geographical Reference
Call Number: 614.4

Content/Scope: This volume details more than 30 potentially-deadly illnesses. Each illness is profiled on a 2-6 page spread that includes basic facts about the disease and a map showing global distribution of the illness. Also provided is the causation of the disease, transmission, treatment, prevention, and control. However, human experience and major outbreaks are also detailed throughout the text.

Accuracy/Authority/Bias: None present.

Arrangement/Presentation: The volume is arranged alphabetically by illness name with each illness encompassing a 2-6 page spread, most of which is engulfed by the geographical reference for that particular disease.

Accessibility/Diversity: Reading level recommended for this text is 7-10. As the middle school community is grades 6-8, this fits well within the reading level for most students in the school.

Relation: One of Science 8 units relates to epidemics. The reading level of this volume combined with the content would make a great reference resource for students of this class and grade level. Furthermore, no atlases are currently in the collection that are more than simple maps. This would fulfill that need.

Cost: $10.29

Professional Review: Anderson, L. (2000). Mapping epidemics (Book Review) (Undetermined). Science Books & Films, 36(5), 217-218.

[Elizabeth Scott]

Elizabeth Scott
Atlas

Title: Mapping Epidemics: A Historical Atlas of Disease.

Call Number: 614.44
Description: This text includes a brief introduction, which suggests the scope and impact of infectious diseases on the world population, followed by a glossary of meaningful terms that appear in the main text. Thirty-two diseases (including AIDS, E. coli, Legionnaires’, syphilis, and TB) are discussed. Multicolored maps provide a clear, understandable overview of where and when the disease developed.
Reviewed:
Leslie, R. (2000, May 15). [Review of the book Mapping Epidemics: A historical atlas of disease, Hoff, B.H.]. Booklist Online. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/Mapping...
Criteria:
This text is suitable for students grades 9-12 and is basic enough to be good tool for the various levels of learners that our library services. Many of our science classes student disease and bacteria and assign projects that accompany the unit. Therefore, this text is relevant for our needs. The maps help to address multiple intelligences and the information is current. The author is reliable and the scope of the information is complete; particularly for basic background needs.

[Celina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a high school textbook that I ran across at my local library. As expected, it is not terribly detailed, but it an excellent resource for basic information. Covering thirty-five of the world's most threatening epidemics, this book outlines causes, treatments, and maps of each epidemic's spread, as well as provides photographs and stories highlighting the personal impact of these illnesses. It also contains an excellent index and glossary as well.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple 2-3 page summary of various epidemics. This was a great resource for a public health novice such as myself. My only complaint is that it was published in 2000, I would love to read an updated version.

[J.D. Holman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, if outdated (copyright 2000). It's a nice encyclopedia - broad but not deep - of a good number of diseases that have been epidemics at some point. Great for starting research.