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Duel Without End: Mankind’s Battle with Microbes
From pre-dawn to COVID-19, from ancient plagues to future microbial threats, a sweeping look at the past, present, and future of infectious diseases--and how we battle them. In this panoramic and up-to-date account, we learn how the Black Death, smallpox, the 1918 influenza pandemic, and other great epidemics have not only led to enormous suffering and mass death but have also contributed to the fall of empires and changed the course of history. We also discover how new infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 emerge--and how we wage war against them. Humanity has struck back at the microbes: antibiotics and new vaccines have saved millions of lives. But the battle with these relentless, silent enemies is far from won. We face increasing threats from new and unavoidable pandemics, antibiotic resistance, and even potential extraterrestrial microbes. Duel Without End is a fascinating journey through the long history of infection, from the dawn of life to humanity's future exploration of deep space.
640 pages, Hardcover
First published April 20, 2020
11 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
About the author
Stig S. Frøland
2 books2 followersStig Sophus Frøland (born 31 July 1940) is a Norwegian professor of medicine.
He was born in Sør-Odal as a brother of Dag Frøland. He took the dr.med. degree in 1973 and specialist qualification in internal medicine in 1980, later also in infectious diseases in 1983. He has served as chief physician at Rikshospitalet from 1986 and professor at the University of Oslo from 1993 to his retirement.
He was born in Sør-Odal as a brother of Dag Frøland. He took the dr.med. degree in 1973 and specialist qualification in internal medicine in 1980, later also in infectious diseases in 1983. He has served as chief physician at Rikshospitalet from 1986 and professor at the University of Oslo from 1993 to his retirement.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 16, 2022
This book will be a strong contender for my favourite book of the year.
In 'Duel without End', Stig Frøland explores the history of disease, from the first recorded pandemics, through the most recent diseases such as AIDS, to future threats from everything from space travel to terrorism. In doing so, he covers all of the 'big-hitters' - the various plagues (Justinian, the Black Death, and the one that sprung up in the late nineteenth century); smallpox; syphilis; Spanish Influenza; and, of course, Covid; he even covers those illnesses with no known microbial cause, including the sweating sickness and the Plague of Cyprian. He examines the causes - including environmental and societal - of such epidemics, as well as the consequences for empires and societies. He considers the war that humanity has waged against the microbes, improving sanitation and emergency measures, vaccinations, antibiotics and cutting-edge treatments.
All of this, while well-written and with several pop culture references thrown in for good measure, does not sound terribly original. Yes, it brings the conversation up-to-date (as much as is possible - there have been further developments with Covid since writing) and covers a much wider geographical area than other history of science books, but historians such as Roy Porter have attempted something similar.
What truly sets this book apart is that it is written not by a historian, but by a professor of medicine who specialises in infectious diseases. It brings a lifetime of medical knowledge to a history book, and creates a middle way between art and science: it is a crash course in epidemiology for historians, and an introduction to history for the scientists. It is informative, original, and refreshing, and the strongest argument for interdisciplinary working that I have seen. The technical detail is there, but it is not overwhelming (although it can sometimes be gruesome!) and is explained in a manner that is simple yet avoids being patronising.
Given the quality of the scientific information - and the background of the book's author - it is surprising that there is such a good grasp of history. I was expecting errors and misunderstandings galore, but what I found instead was a thorough, global knowledge of disease and medicine through the ages, as well as a wide general knowledge of historic characters, states and empires. This, then, is a well-researched, brilliantly written, original, and very timely book.
In 'Duel without End', Stig Frøland explores the history of disease, from the first recorded pandemics, through the most recent diseases such as AIDS, to future threats from everything from space travel to terrorism. In doing so, he covers all of the 'big-hitters' - the various plagues (Justinian, the Black Death, and the one that sprung up in the late nineteenth century); smallpox; syphilis; Spanish Influenza; and, of course, Covid; he even covers those illnesses with no known microbial cause, including the sweating sickness and the Plague of Cyprian. He examines the causes - including environmental and societal - of such epidemics, as well as the consequences for empires and societies. He considers the war that humanity has waged against the microbes, improving sanitation and emergency measures, vaccinations, antibiotics and cutting-edge treatments.
All of this, while well-written and with several pop culture references thrown in for good measure, does not sound terribly original. Yes, it brings the conversation up-to-date (as much as is possible - there have been further developments with Covid since writing) and covers a much wider geographical area than other history of science books, but historians such as Roy Porter have attempted something similar.
What truly sets this book apart is that it is written not by a historian, but by a professor of medicine who specialises in infectious diseases. It brings a lifetime of medical knowledge to a history book, and creates a middle way between art and science: it is a crash course in epidemiology for historians, and an introduction to history for the scientists. It is informative, original, and refreshing, and the strongest argument for interdisciplinary working that I have seen. The technical detail is there, but it is not overwhelming (although it can sometimes be gruesome!) and is explained in a manner that is simple yet avoids being patronising.
Given the quality of the scientific information - and the background of the book's author - it is surprising that there is such a good grasp of history. I was expecting errors and misunderstandings galore, but what I found instead was a thorough, global knowledge of disease and medicine through the ages, as well as a wide general knowledge of historic characters, states and empires. This, then, is a well-researched, brilliantly written, original, and very timely book.
July 11, 2022
Took me a long time to read this book but it was extremely extremely worth it. Frøland is extremely knowledgeable about the subject matter. The book differed in a couple different manners than the infectious disease books I am used to reading. The book went more in-depth into the science behind the infections. Rather than seeing epidemiology as a straight-line, the book broke the subject matter into different parts, discussing the diseases everyone knows (e.g. bubonic plague, influenza), the human responses to these disease (quarantine, vaccination, etc.) but it also discussed the effects that these agents have on shaping human history. Frøland writes in an amazing manner and the book is translated from its original Norwegian extremely well.
One of the things that I absolutely loved about the book was the use of illustrations to support. Many people are not familiar with what a filovirus looks like or what standard PPE resembles in a hotzone so these illustrations helped. There were a lot of illustrations of portraits which I can allow because I think portraits are dope. Another thing I enjoyed is Frøland’s efforts. He has a rooted interest in the subject, and he is not some politician attempting to push her agenda. On the other hand, he is not a historian, he is a doctor so much of writing comes off as clinical which I really love. Finally, I did like that the recent SARS-CoV-2 virus was discussed. While the pandemic and outbreak itself has been discussed to death, very little has been discussed about the actual culprit behind the pandemic. The author compares the current pandemic to the SARS outbreak in 2003 and highlights the similarities between the two situations.
Would highly highly recommend this book to all.
One of the things that I absolutely loved about the book was the use of illustrations to support. Many people are not familiar with what a filovirus looks like or what standard PPE resembles in a hotzone so these illustrations helped. There were a lot of illustrations of portraits which I can allow because I think portraits are dope. Another thing I enjoyed is Frøland’s efforts. He has a rooted interest in the subject, and he is not some politician attempting to push her agenda. On the other hand, he is not a historian, he is a doctor so much of writing comes off as clinical which I really love. Finally, I did like that the recent SARS-CoV-2 virus was discussed. While the pandemic and outbreak itself has been discussed to death, very little has been discussed about the actual culprit behind the pandemic. The author compares the current pandemic to the SARS outbreak in 2003 and highlights the similarities between the two situations.
Would highly highly recommend this book to all.
October 22, 2022
Really wonderful some of the time but let down by its scope. This book attempts to be a pretty comprehensive account of basically everything that has ever happened in microbiology. That meant some of these smaller more interesting humans stories left me wanting to hear more about them but we had to move on, meanwhile many of the more standard repetitive Discovery stories felt like they had too much time committed to them
P.s. apparently all the cool kids are moving to storygraph so give me a follow if you want to: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile...
P.s. apparently all the cool kids are moving to storygraph so give me a follow if you want to: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile...
August 5, 2022
A well-written fascinating and terrifying account of humanity's history with microbes. A must read in the current pandemic we live in.
July 13, 2022
Stig S. Frøland presents an exhaustive compendium of microbial diseases past, present and future and their influence on humanity and humanity's influence upon them. Clearly the work of a man passionate about his field, the author provides information beyond my expectations. Frøland's scrutiny takes us all over the globe and off into space, back to the dawn of humanity and far into the future. Most interesting to me is his microbial explanation for xenophobic behavior, given the devastating impact of the arrival of "others" and their microbes on local populations, noting that almost all of the plagues he describes were carried by people who traveled widely. Having always focused primarily on the positive impacts of social diversity, the transmission of technology and knowledge, the enhancement of the genetic pool, I have generally neglected the impact of foreign microbes on populations whose immune systems were unprepared. Frøland's enthusiasm for understanding our opponents in the duel that he suggests we will ultimately lose is - yes, I'm going to say it - highly infectious. A rare five star rating from me.
March 17, 2023
A chunky book, Duel Without End is a good, all-round introduction to the history of infectious diseases and the many ways in which humans have fought back. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2023...
December 5, 2022
Backlog: uitstekend en uitgebreid boek over de geschiedenis van alle infectieziekten.
November 6, 2023
Excellent- my book of the year.
Thorough
Non-English speaking author so not centred on the British or American contributions
Puts COVID into perspective
Thorough
Non-English speaking author so not centred on the British or American contributions
Puts COVID into perspective
May 23, 2025
Comprehensive and articulate history and explanation of infectious disease. Gave me a solid foundation and understanding of how disease has shaped and developed the world. He breaks down advanced scientific concepts and ideas into digestible chunks and makes for a very interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews