Viruses, Plagues, and History: Past, Present and Future

by Michael B.A. Oldstone

The story of viruses and humanity is a story of fear and ignorance, of grief and heartbreak, and of great bravery and sacrifice. Michael Oldstone tells all these stories as he illuminates the history of the devastating diseases that have tormented humanity, focusing mostly on the most famous
viruses.
Oldstone begins with smallpox, polio, and measles. Nearly 300 million people were killed by smallpox in this century alone and the author presents a vivid account of the long campaign to eradicate this lethal killer. Oldstone then describes the fascinating viruses that have captured headlines
in more recent Ebola, Hantavirus, mad cow disease (a frightening illness made worse by government mishandling and secrecy), and, of course, AIDS. And he tells us of the many scientists watching and waiting even now for the next great plague, monitoring influenza strains to see whether the
deadly variant from 1918--a viral strain that killed over 20 million people in 1918-1919--will make a comeback. For this revised edition, Oldstone includes discussions of new viruses like SARS, bird flu, virally caused cancers, chronic wasting disease, and West Nile, and fully updates the original
text with new findings on particular viruses.
Viruses, Plagues, and History paints a sweeping portrait of humanity's long-standing conflict with our unseen viral enemies. Oldstone's book is a vivid history of a fascinating field, and a highly reliable dispatch from an eminent researcher on the front line of this ongoing campaign.

Genres: Science, History, Nonfiction, Medicine, Medical, Biology, Audiobook

383 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Born in New York, NY; married; children: three. Education: University of Alabama, A.S., 1954; University of Maryland, M.D., 1961; advanced study at Johns Hopkins McCullom Pratt Institute of Biochemistry. Hobbies and other interests: Bird watching, fly fishing, body surfing, reading.

MEMBER:
American Association of Physicians, American Society for Clinical Investigation, Scandinavian Society of Immunology (elected).

AWARDS, HONORS:
Burroughs Wellcome Professorship Award, Medical Research Council; American Academy of Microbiology fellow; Cotzias Award, for contributions in research, 1986; Abraham Flexner Award, for contributions in biomedical research, 1988; Rous-Whipple Award, for contributions in experimental pathology, 1993; Biomedical Science Award, Karolinska Institute, for contributions in virus/autoimmune diseases, 1994; J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine, for contributions in virus-host interactions and viral pathogenesis, 1997; R.E. Dyer Lectureship and Directors Award, National Institutes of Health, for contributions in viral pathogenesis, 2000; Pioneer in NeuroVirology Award, International Society for NeuroVirology, 2003; elected to Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an educational book through-and-through. Yes, it’s true that I read a lot of what can be considered “educational” or popular science. I like science and its various branches (chemistry, physics, biology, cosmology, etc.) and math. I also like history and medicine. The author references more than one book that I remember reading when I was young and aspirations ruled the universe. For example, “The Microbe Hunters” by Paul de Kruif or books about Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur. (My middle-high school (BLS) is on Ave Louis Pasteur in Boston – just down the street from Harvard Medical School.) I also imagined it might have some overlap with the outstanding “Guns, Germs, and Steel” (which it does).

For the most part this was an interesting and enjoyable book to read. There are several “dry spots” that the casual reader (i.e. one who doesn’t give a rat’s derriere about the actual science of infection and virology) will probably skip over. To his credit, the author suggests this strategy in the opening. Being of sound mind and body (very argumentative proposition, I know) I read it cover-to-cover. Normally I would have read through such a book fairly quickly, but I put it aside for a 3-day business trip in favor of the lighter (and slimmer) “Almost Transparent Blue” by Ryu Murakami.

For the casual reader, this book offers a great retelling of various important plagues/epidemics that afflicted mankind for decades or centuries. You will cower at the human misery and cheer for the triumphs of elimination or near-elimination of various scourges. (I exaggerate only a little. There’s some but not quite so much drama in this book.) For the science-friendly there are discussions about how viruses infect us, how our bodies try (and sometimes fail) to combat these fiends, and how we have created methods to protect ourselves from them.

There is repetition in several places; it is often about a specific disease, but can also be about a person or historical development. Before my “break” I was beginning to get annoyed with the author by this. When I resumed reading, I found more occurrences (and recalled the earlier ones) but reacted less strongly to it. Was it necessary to make each chapter (topic) standalone? Was that the reason or goal? Don’t know and I still think it could have been done with less, but I’m not going to whack him on points too much for it.

This is a great book if you have even a passing interest in medicine and how and who helped keep us from dying like flies in the last 50-100 years. The author is an established and published researcher in his own right, so you are getting the insider’s view of this material. Although I already knew it, his treatment of how humans “game” things (to the exclusion of researchers from prizes that they rightly should have been jointly awarded) is well done and may open a few eyes.

I read the updated (2010) edition of this book. It has new material and is probably improved in other ways, also. The original was published a while back. “3.5” stars, which means a “3” for the GR ranking system.

[Cadie Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It gave interesting insights into the world of viruses and their history. I have always been an advocate for vaccinations and this book helped to solidify my opinion. I really get disheartened when people say that they are not going to vaccinate because their immune system is strong enough to combat diseases or that vaccines make the immune response of the body weak. Vaccines are the only thing keeping the planet protected from horrible pandemics that have frequently happened. Additionally, vaccines are only protect the whole world population when 80% or more people have received the vaccination and current trends have shown that the actual amount of vaccinate people in the United States is somewhere around 50%. Shocking!!!!

I will leave this description by saying that people rightly believe that immunizations are so important that war torn countries have actually ceased-fire for a few days to offer vaccinations to their population. CEASED-FIRE FOR VACCINATIONS. Chew on that anti-vaccinators!

[denudatio_pulpae · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Wirusy, plagi i dzieje ludzkości" to książka wartościowa, szczególnie w obecnych czasach (i nie mówię tu tylko o koronawirusie). Przede wszystkim przypomina nam, że jeszcze nie tak dawno pewne choroby dziesiątkowały populację, a dzięki szczepieniom ochronnym część z nich nie stanowi obecnie większego zagrożenia. Z drugiej strony mówi również o tych chorobach, na które nadal nie ma skutecznej szczepionki czy lekarstwa, a o których przypominamy sobie tylko w sytuacjach wyjątkowych.

Wystarczy prześledzić sprawę odry - choroby, której nazwa obecnie nie wzbudza już w większości osób strachu o siebie czy dziecko (na podstawie cytatów z książki):

"Przed rokiem 1963 - zanim otrzymano szczepionkę przeciwko odrze - choroba ta była powszechna niemal na całym świecie. Na przykład w Stanach Zjednoczonych na odrę zapadało 4 miliony osób rocznie; około 48 000 spośród nich wymagało hospitalizacji, a 500 przypadków kończyło się śmiercią. Najgroźniejszą komplikacją odry jest zapalenie mózgu. W USA zapadało na nie 4000 osób rocznie, a u 1000 odra pozostawała trwałe uszkodzenie mózgu i głuchotę. Zdarzały się również przypadki przewlekłej, postępującej choroby ośrodkowego układu nerwowego, powodującej stopniowy zanik funkcji mózgu i śmierć po 7-10 latach od zakażenia".

"Poza liczną grupą dzieci poniżej jednego roku życia w populacji jest również duża grupa dorosłych i dzieci wrażliwych na zakażenie. Pozwala to wirusowi na utrzymywanie się w danej populacji przez nieustanne pasaże i zakażanie coraz to nowych osobników. Ten łańcuch pasaży można przerwać, stosując masowe szczepienia. Jest mało prawdopodobne, aby bez wprowadzenia powszechnych szczepień udało się wyeliminować odrę".

"Niektóre kraje wprowadzają obowiązkowe szczepienia odry, inne zadowalają się szczepieniami dobrowolnymi. W Japonii, mimo początkowych trudności z miejscową szczepionką, która dawała objawy uboczne, wprowadzono szczepienia obowiązkowe, dzięki czemu zaszczepiono większość mieszkańców, a liczba zachorowań na odrę spadła do kilku tysięcy rocznie. Kiedy jednak zniesiono obowiązek szczepień, w ciągu trzech lat - od 1995 do 1997 roku- zanotowano ponownie ponad 200 000 przypadków odry".

"Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia szacuje, że w latach osiemdziesiątych i na początku dziewięćdziesiątych na odrę umierało rocznie 2,5 miliona dzieci - głównie z powodu niedotarcia ze szczepionką do osób wrażliwych na to zakażenie. Pod naciskiem WHO i innych organizacji udało się objąć szczepieniami 78% populacji, dzięki czemu liczba przypadków zmniejszyła się znacznie, a śmiertelność spadła o blisko 70% (do około miliona przypadków rocznie).
W 1990 roku WHO postawiła sobie za cel "obniżenie do 1995 roku liczby zgonów spowodowanych odrą o 95% oraz liczby zachorowań o 90% w porównaniu z okresem przed wprowadzeniem szczepień, co będzie ważnym krokiem na drodze do całkowitego wyeliminowania odry". Planuje się, że wirus ten zostanie zlikwidowany w drugim dziesięcioleciu XXI wieku. Jest to możliwe, ponieważ człowiek jest jego jedynym rezerwuarem, a odporność przeciwko odrze trwa przez całe życie - także odporność wywołana przez szczepienia".

Tymczasem we współczesnej Polsce:
"Epidemiczny wzrost zachorowań w 2019 r. wystąpił po blisko 10-letnim okresie, w którym choroba była bardzo dobrze kontrolowana, bliska eliminacji. Taki epidemiczny wzrost zachorowań na odrę jest związany z systematycznie obniżającym się odsetkiem zaszczepionych dwoma dawkami szczepionki MMR przeciw odrze, śwince i różyczce. Dzieci stanowią rezerwuar wirusa i nawet jeżeli mają niewiele objawów i nie są rejestrowane poronne zachorowania to one warunkują utrzymanie się epidemii. Podobne epidemiczne zachorowania trwają w całym regionie europejskim, zarówno w krajach Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej jak i w bogatych krajach Europy Zachodniej i na południu Europy. Wzrostowi temu można by zapobiec gdyby udało się utrzymać wysoki, ponad 95% odsetek osób zaszczepionych dwoma dawkami szczepionki MMR przeciw odrze, śwince i różyczce. Niestety, stan zaszczepienia przeciw odrze systematycznie spada od blisko 10 lat, na co duży wpływ ma dezinformacja w sieciach społecznościowych.
Pamiętajmy że nie ma skutecznego leczenia odry – podanie dwóch dawek szczepionki MMR jest jedynym sposobem ochrony przed tą chorobą".
[źródło: https://szczepienia.pzh.gov.pl/faq/ja...]

"Niepokojący jest wzrost liczby osób odmawiających szczepień dzieci, co powoduje ryzyko wystąpienia zwiększonej liczby zachorowań na odrę, dlatego Główny Inspektor Sanitarny podejmuje intensywne działania mające na celu upowszechnienie wiedzy na temat szczepień. Bogate repozytorium badań nt. skuteczności i bezpieczeństwa szczepionek, materiały informacyjne, filmy i infografiki dostępne są m.in. na stronie www.gis.gov.pl".
[źródło: https://rcb.gov.pl/sytuacja-epidemiol...]

Wnioski na ten temat polecam wyciągnąć każdemu osobiście.
8/10

[Steven Belanger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well-written, for a scientist. Though there were some very unreadable passages, these were not a distraction, but only made the reader want to challenge himself to read and comprehend, which I didn't completely succeed at. Very exact and detailed in the history of the illnesses; very comprehensive, yet specific; very scary in its descriptions and predictions. I read this for research for an as-yet-untitled novel about plagues or viruses.

[Porter Broyles · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I've read a number of books on plagues during the pandemic, this book did nothing for me.

Read 20% before giving up

[Jesse Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our "plaguetime reading club" has now been going more than two years, and this book highlights just how much we've read about.

This book opens with lucid accounts of virology and immunology, reminding me of The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History's history of medicine leading up to the 1918 pandemic. Among the success stories, smallpox is described in more detail, if not as economically, in The Demon in the Freezer. The epidemic of yellow fever in Memphis in 1878 was lovingly described in The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic That Shaped Our History (to be clear, Crosby loves old Memphis, not yellow fever). Polio: An American Story has a fuller account of polio, including all the drama between Sabin, Salk and others, like the badly mistaken Flexner.

Some of the material on prions and so-called "mad cow disease" are covered in The Family that Couldn't Sleep -- with much more on the drama in the life background of one of the key researchers of the disease kuru, Daniel Carleton Gajdusek.

Some of the emerging viral plagues with hemorrhagic fever, like Lassa fever, Ebola, and Hantavirus, are covered in Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic, by David Quammen. Quammen also tells the detective story concerning West Nile Virus in humans and birds of the USA. Quammen describes efforts to trace HIV to its African origins, too, and we read much more about that virus in How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS, but the mechanism of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells is described in useful detail here. Of course, we not being experts, some of the information is in one ear and out the other. But some images are indelible, as for example, this first passage I've ever seen about a potential future therapeutic HIV vaccine:

The purpose of therapeutic vaccines is to recover CD8+ killer cells’ and CD4+ T helper cells’ activity, the loss of which is a direct effect of HIV infection. Resurrecting the function of these T lympho-cytes is required to control the infection. Trials using conventional forms of vaccine have failed (11–14). However, new experimental findings in animal models of infections have promise. There, negative regulators of the immune response have been found; that is, long-term (persisting) viruses induced the production of factors that compromised CD8killer and CD4 T helper function, which would otherwise rid the body of infection. The identification and removal of these factors resurrected T-cell functions (15–23). Such restored and functioning T cells purged viruses and controlled infection.

Whether you got that or not, it's hopeful news. But hope sits against a backdrop of risk, in Oldstone. Where Quammen thinks more about the environmental conditions that have led to increased risk of many of these diseases -- hemorrhagic fevers and coronaviruses "spillover" from animals more often when human habitats encroach on natural habits. Oldstone has a more humanist agenda. He speaks up for a more rigorous public health system, and has an especially dire warning about declines in basic research among physicians:

In 1984...the scarcity of MDs going into basic research was evident. In my laboratory alone, the number dropped from 80 to 90 percent of my research staff in the 1970s to roughly 50 percent during his time with me to less than 5 percent for the last decade. This deficiency in persons trained broadly in normal human biology and its diseases is more than a national concern; it is a disaster.

He laments, too, the spread of incorrect ideas, which have hampered the application of vaccines to the population. Several times he cites the notion that polio vaccines could cause HIV infection as a persistent and dangerous force in public health. There is no cogent polemic here, but one gets from his holistic view that he is really on to something. It's reminiscent of what Adam Tooze, in Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World's Economy, calls "organized irresponsibility." He referred to a financial system that systematically undervalued public health infrastructure. What all these poison memes that prevent people from getting vaccines indicates is that these misunderstandings propagate from individual to individual, just like viruses themselves.

[Hershey Herskovits]

We are blessed not to know the horrors of plagues. Smallpox, Polio, Yellow Fever, and Measles, diseases that have ravaged our society a generation or two or three ago, are subjects of medical curiosities today. We do not dread a bout of sudden sickness followed by a rapid spiraling down to death.

Perhaps we are too native to foresee what lies in wait for us. But surely, thanks to the miraculous innovations of vaccines and antiviral therapy, scores of our acquaintances we see today are not gone tomorrow, and so luckily plagues do not breathe down heavily on our necks. We do not fear that our children will be crippled by polio in summer camp, and we do not expect some of the neighborhood kids to succumb to the flu in the fall. There is AIDS, still waiting to be picked up by a cure and vaccine, but AIDS is not as threatening as acute diseases are, and it could be avoided with precaution.

This was not the fate of humanity for most of its history, and we have no guarantees things will stay this way forever. Will bioterrorism wipe us all off the face of the planet with a new superbug or with a deemed eradicated old scourge? Will antivexing reintroduce our babies to the ghastly childhood of measles? Was the SARS pandemic a forewarning of what lies ahead? Are we prepared for globalism and emerging diseases?

Oldstone relates the fascinating tale of how viral diseases have shaped, and misshaped, the course of human history, and how humanity has made great strides in overcoming them. He raises interesting perspectives in current vaccination policies. The author then discusses the challenges that lie ahead of us.

To fully appreciate the content, a more than just-basics understanding of immune system mechanics is necessary, along with a smattering of biology, virology, epidemiology, and related disciplines.

The book is neatly divided in chapters by disease. Intrachapter organization is wanting, however, You will not find subsections for background, history, virology, pathology, research, or outlook. Instead all of the above is discussed in one long breath, in happenstance, and often repetitively.

This subject is important, though. It's important that we underatand where we are coming from in terms of infectious diseases. It's important that we appreciate how privileged we are to live in this plague purged world. It's important that we stay determined not to permit the pseudoscience of antivexing to take us back to the dark ages of pestilence, pain, and pandemonium.

In all, a good book and worth the read.

[Cav · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a decent book. Author Michael B. A. Oldstone is Professor and Head of the Viral-Immunobiology Laboratory at The Scripps Research Institute.
The book covers many different infectious diseases; from the 1918 Spanish Flu, Smallpox, Yellow Fever, Measles, and Poliomyelitis - to Lassa Fever, Ebola, Hantavirus, HIV/AIDS and SARS Coronavirus, as well as the prion diseases Creutzfeldt–Jakob and Mad Cow disease, among others.

"Viruses, Plagues, and History" contains a lot of interesting information, but it could have included a bit of info on some of the biochemical mechanisms it frequently talks about. The layperson will most likely be lost at times reading this...

The SARS Virus:

I still enjoyed the book, and it makes great reference material. It also has fairly decent formatting. I would recommend it to anyone interested in a brief history of infectious disease, virology, and epidemiology in general.
3.5 stars.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oldstone certainly has a command of the science, and he writes clearly. It's a good survey of various viruses, in that sense. But a few things stand out that prevent me from recommending this book:

1. The book repeats itself constantly, even in the same section. It could have used a more assertive editor.
2. I could have done with a bit less scientific triumphalism and moralizing. I know, vaccine-deniers are horrible (they are). But it just got to be a little much, and it sort of drowned out the story.
3. There were periodic historical inaccuracies throughout the book that I just found galling.

This may have just not been a match for what I was looking for: I wanted more on plagues and history, but this was mainly a survey of viruses, and a lot of present-day stuff.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 stars for enjoyment, 5 stars for quality.

A excellent survey of the history of various plagues through out history and how the science of treatment has evolved. This was clearly never meant for light pleasure reading, it's more an academic resource. That said, it was easy to follow and take the couldn't finish tag with grains of salt; I got what I wanted from this book and I'm satisfied.

[Paloma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review in English | Reseña en Español
An easily accessible read for those interested in getting to know of the historical context and impacts of major diseases and the challenges posed to the communities affected by them. I found most of the data interesting and this is certainly an entertaining book -except for the first chapter, where it goes into a technical explanation of how viruses come to be, the rest of the book reads fast and is enjoyable -in terms of the writing I mean, as one cannot help but shudder when learning of the human loss caused by diseases. My only issue with the book is that it mainly focuses on the impacts these world-wide pandemics had on the Western World -and the English-speaking world to be more specific. Except for Ebola, whose outbreaks have been contained to Africa most of the time for some unknown reason, the author only describes the impacts pandemics such as smallpox, measles, influenza, AIDS, had on the United States and the United Kingdom. And that bothered me somehow -if we are speaking of diseases that affect all humanity without discrimination, why focus only on those two countries? The answer is obvious but still, I think there are issues that affect human beings equally and hence, it is important to hear those experiences and voices.
_
Una lectura de fácil acceso para aquellos interesados en conocer el contexto histórico y los impactos de las enfermedades que más han afectado a la humanidad y los desafíos que representaron para las comunidades afectadas por ellas. Encontré la mayoría de los datos interesantes y éste es, sin duda, un libro entretenido -excepto por el primer capítulo, donde entra en una explicación bastante técnica de la forma de los virus, el resto del libro se lee rápido y está bien ejecutado, con todo y que uno no puede evitar estremecerse al enterarse de las pérdidas humanas causadas por las enfermedades. Mi único problema con el libro es que se centra en los impactos que estas pandemias mundiales tuvieron en el mundo occidental y, para ser más específicos, en el mundo de habla inglesa. A excepción del ébola, cuyos brotes se han acotado a África por alguna razón desconocida, el autor solo describe los impactos que la viruela, el sarampión, la influenza y el SIDA, entre otros, tuvieron en los Estados Unidos y el Reino Unido. Y eso me molestó un poco -si estamos hablando de enfermedades que afectan a toda la humanidad sin discriminación, ¿por qué enfocarnos solo en esos dos países? La respuesta puede ser obvia, pero igual, creo que hay temas que afectan a los seres humanos por igual y, por tanto, sería muy interesante acceder a esas experiencias y testimonios.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting general overview of lots of diseases through history. Feels a little outdated in places (theres no mention of covid!)

[Martin, I stand with ISRAEL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would not recommend this book unless you have a medical background. The book goes into depth on HIV, Yellow Fever, Measles,Smallpox, Ebola and Influenza.

[Monical · Rating 1 out of 5]

I used a textbook co-authored by Oldstone in my college classes, so I shouldn't have been surprised at the boring academic tone of this book. Oldstone just couldn't wean himself from his scientific writing expertise. Even though I know a fair amount about the topics he addresses in this book, I found it turgid, boring and in places not exactly accurate. I also was surprised at the amount of hero worship he demonstrates for some scientists, with a complete lack of critical view (Bob Gallo and HIV comes to mind, but Oldstone spends a lot of time on yellow fever where Reed and his colleagues did a lot of human experimentation-- without comment on the ethics and consent or not that was involved). He also fails to explain some topics-- for example, use of live (!) smallpox virus in variolation-- why didn't that kill people? I haven't been as disappointed in a scientific book since the books that promoted the theory that the black death was caused by anthrax (recently totally disproven!). Oldstone claims that the book "Microbe Hunters" was an inspiration for his own efforts-- maybe once I have recovered from this book I'll give that one a try.

[Ameya Warde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading a lot of books about the history of pandemics this year, so I went into this assuming it'd just be a lot of repeat info, but it actually wasn't only, and had lots of info the other books didn't touch on, too! It also talked about more types of illnesses, like the ones that you can get from eating meat and might have incubation times of like 60 years and then seemingly inexplicably you start acting "mad" (i forget the specific symptoms).. which really made me really think about how many unexplained conditions we have that might come delayed effects of viruses and prions and such. Virology and medicine truly has SO far to go, though it has come so very far in the last 100 years as well.

Definitely worth a read for anyone interested in medical history or pandemics/virology/etc in general!

[Betsy Curlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've read on the subject of viruses. It covers the major viral outbreaks in recent history, including the 1918 - 1919 influenza epidemic and HIV. Concise and intelligently written this is an informative and enjoyable read.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Understanding the history and nature of viruses is the first step to combatting them. Reading about the history of pandemics lets us see, not only how threatening they are, but also how we have endured severe outbreaks in the past. Reading this book illuminates the importance of vaccination, not only for oneself but for others. Anyone resistant to vaccination should read this.

This book will emphasize for the reader how important our immune system is and how we should do everything we can to care for it. It will also underscore how thankful we should be to have our heath; for in a mere moment our health can deteriorate and leave us riddled with scars, paralyzed, suffering or dead. We can care for our immune system by eating properly, watching our weight, exercising, and washing properly.

Cooperation Is Key

This book will leave the reader with an understanding that the primary weapon viruses use against us is our ignorance. We are defeated by our refusals to quarantine, to mask up, to social distance, to wear a condom, to avoid congregating, to wash properly, to not share needles and other risky practices. Thinking about how hard it is to get people to wear masks during Covid, I had to laugh out loud when I read about the difficulties of getting people to use condoms to combat AIDs. Too often, we are our own worst enemy.

This author talks about how, in 1919, during the Spanish Flu outbreak, that people went to jail in San Francisco for not wearing a mask and how, when the city finally discontinued the mask wearing order, the virus immediately came back. As devasting as viruses are, we could easily defeat them if we could only cooperate effectively. Clearly, the most lasting malady of the human race is our inability and reluctance to cooperate with one another.

Federal guidelines established nearly a century ago, during the Spanish Flu outbreak, included closing schools, athletic events, churches, theaters, using face masks, and preventing public gatherings. Thus, the procedures instituted for fighting Covid are not new, but well-established methods for fighting viral transfer.

Science Must Go Viral

Naturally, we must continue to study these invisible foes and struggle in our efforts to survive. Before a vaccine was developed for smallpox some people learned that they could gain protection through the process of variolation, which involved inhaling powdered smallpox scabs or rubbing some of the liquid from a smallpox pustule into a needle scratch on the arm. One must marvel over how long it takes for us to make such accidental discoveries and to gain an understanding that the very infectious agent itself can provide the solution for the malady.

Particularly frightening is the way in which the Spanish Flu virus was resurrected from the bodies of victims frozen in the Alaskan permafrost for nearly a century. This scientific feat causes one to wonder if the day is coming when we may be able to quickly assemble molecular vectors to combat all forms of viruses that plague us. But do we really want to destroy every single last one of the viruses that cause disease? Some philosophers point out that if all living things are a part of the cosmic universe, we may be in error to regard any living thing as a foe and eliminate it completely. This author’s explanations for antigenic drift (the accumulation of genetic mutations) and antigenic shift (the mixing of genetic material among different virus species) conjures the idea that viral infections may be an integral part of the very evolution that formed us, that motivates us to reproduce, and that spurs us to evolve.

It’s a Cruel War

Studying viruses lets us see how they have historically devastated us much worse than the current Covid crisis; and how much we are at risk to succumbing to even more virulent strains. While we like to think of life forces cooperating, we see the opposite in the world around us, where there is this constant battle between life forms seeking to subsist off of one another. This book illuminates us to the fact that new viral contagions can emerge easily among us at any time and present a much greater existential threat than any act of war, wayward asteroid or other natural disaster.

It seems almost impossible for us to comprehend something as small as a virus possessing intelligence, but many actions of viruses so imply, particularly when they chose to remain asymptomatic in some people to effectuate their spread, as occurs in Corona virus. Similarly, the most common consequence of poliovirus in humans is an asymptomatic, usually mild and short-lived disease. However, during this time the virus replicates and spreads widely. The author shows us how HIV lingers for years during which time it is spread to others before producing noticeable symptoms in the host; and how, when nearly defeated by the immune system, HIV hides fragments of itself within certain cells and goes dormant, only to rise again when the immune system becomes compromised. If we can contemplate ourselves as intelligent beings in the immense vastness of the universe, if we can envision ourselves as intelligent fragments of life upon a tiny planet that itself is a mere fragment, how then can we so readily dismiss the presence of intelligence at a microscopic level?

How Viruses Have Impacted Human History

Interestingly, this author quotes the Bible (Chapter 11 of Numbers) in suggesting that the first documentation of bird flu may have been when the Israelites’ demanded meat instead of the manna God provided and became sick from the profusion of quail. This book shows how modern viruses enter into humans from animals, such as from eating monkeys, cows, bats, pigs or other infected meats.

This author goes on to provide numerous examples of how viruses have significantly affected human history. Smallpox decimated the native American population. Their susceptibility to smallpox made the Aztec think the Spanish Gods were supreme over the Aztec Gods and caused them to docilely accept commands from priests and convert to Christianity. In 1634, John Winthrop, the Massachusetts Bay Governor, hearing of the smallpox epidemic among the Indians wrote in his diary: “They are all dead of the smallpox so the Lord clearath our title to what we possess.”

The Europeans even used smallpox as agents of warfare. Geoffrey Amherst, the British Commander in the New World, directed that hostile Indian tribes be provided with blankets contaminated with smallpox and stated: “We must, on this occasion, use every stratagem in our power to reduce them.”

Similarly, the Haitian rebellion of 1801, led by Toussaint Louverture, was successful because Napoleon’s forces were largely destroyed by Yellow Fever, which ultimately led Napoleon to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United States. Philippe Girard’s detailed history Haiti: The Tumultuous History is a particularly illuminating account of the bizarre Haitian saga.

Another historical example is the American Civil War, wherein at least two-thirds of the soldiers who died were killed by infectious diseases instead of gunfire, many from measles. One could list countless more situations in which viral infections have influenced the historical paths of humankind. Should we bequeath such control to microbial forces?

Conclusion

We have in histories like this a tendency to focus more upon human scientific achievements in developing vaccines and less upon the underlying problem of viral infections, which will continue to manifest in unique and virulent ways. The underlying problems are over population, obesity, destruction of animal habitats, over-crowding, unsanitary conditions, inadequate nutrition and a refusal to cooperate effectively.

The maladies of the human race are too often caused by the human race itself, as we slowly, but inexorably, multiply beyond the capabilities of the planet to sustain us, draining our resources, destroying the purity of the very air we breathe, depleting the fertility of the ground, etc.

Viruses are perhaps the earths own immune system, desperately trying to control the runaway replication of an insatiable race of humans, most of whom do little more in their lives than consume and replicate.

-End-

[S. H. Gray (FangedLibrarian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the audio version of this book. It was well produced and very interesting and accessible. I liked the wide variety of diseases discussed and the tie in to historical happenings.

Would recommend this book to anyone interested in the topics.

[Isabelle reads a book a day because she has no friends · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure, my review is entirely biased because I had to read this book for a biology class.

[Weizhen Plumridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent survey of fatal viral diseases that have wreaked havoc throughout human history. The significant efforts went into the eradication of smallpox and the worldwide control of polio and measles should be treated as one of the greatest achievements of mankind, akin to the moon landing. I recommend reading, in conjunction with this book, "The Beautiful Cure" by Daniel M Davis on the functioning of our immune systems and the development on immunotherapy in the 20th Century to understand why mass immunisation becomes more and more challenging in today's world; Why we are more susceptible than ever to viral diseases and the importance of worldwide surveillance on emerging new viruses. It's so disheartening to think that we (mostly the Chinese government) learnt almost nothing from the 2003 and 2004 SARS-Cov pandemic and history has repeated itself merely 16 years later and likely to drive us all into a global recession. I truly hope the world has learnt it's lessons this time around.

[Rajiv Chopra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in a brief history of virus (and prion) based diseases since the outbreak of smallpox.

Michael Oldstone does not write about outbreaks like The Black Plague so, for those interested in that topic will have to look elsewhere.

I do like his introductory chapters in which he describes the mechanism of infection. For those who would like to get a basic understanding of this mechanism, I recommend these chapters.

The author has neatly divided the book into chapters in which he writes about each disease, the outbreak, and the search for medication.

Michael Oldstone highlights the conflicts between business, politics and science. The one topic he mentions a few time is the possibility of viruses being used for bio-warfare. The prospect of bioterrorism is worrying and is something we should be prepared for.

[Irena Feng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating topic, very detailed analysis as well; this book was stuffed to the brim with information on all aspects of a wide variety of subjects, giving many examples and backing them up with references. For the most part, this book was a great read; there were some sections that dragged a bit and were a little difficult to plow through for the more casual reader. For a casual reader, this book provides a great opportunity to learn about the broad strokes made by viruses and plagues throughout history; for the more scientifically inclined, Oldstone also manages to weave in some of the science that developed along with human understanding and knowledge.

[Awallens · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book examines viruses such as yellow fever, measles and polio which have been eradicated or nearly so. It examines how these viruses changed history and how viruses such as AIDS and how a flu epidemic may change history. It has a few chapters dedicated to viruses, how they form, what they do to the body, etc. Those chapters were a bit repetative, and overall I was left relieved I had finished the book. It was an OK read, but a bit to heavy and out-of-date for me.

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to set the COVID 19 pandemic in the context of history. This book certainly did that, the comparisons that I can now make with other viruses, and past epidemics and pandemics is fascinating.

However, this book is in serious need of editing - so much repetition, reeling off lists of bird species/researchers/numbers, and going down long tangents. It made the overall read rather tedious, which is a shame.

[DD T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever wondered about measles, polio, yellow fever, ebola, lassa fever, hanta, or H1N1? This is the book to read. Accessible to readers of most levels though it does get a somewhat technical with viral natural history but still very interesting and kind'a scary! Ignorance is bliss but I don't think I want to be part of that group.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing I hadn't read before - Jared Diamond used the same logic - but there was an interesting section at the end, about present and future challenges.

[Jesse Ballenger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much better on virology than history, but fairly dense with jargon for a book aimed at a non-specialist audience.

[Hanna (Hanna.k_draws) · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting!!

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a mix of the "Microbes & Men" and biothriller genres of infectious disease history, with more emphasis than usual on the science and scientists. The extra stories about scientists are nice. But overall, there's not much new. And I know I'm picky but I find it annoying that a scientist with expertise in infectious diseases makes the same mistakes as journalists writing about this stuff, for example confusing the Case Fatality Rate and Death to Infection Ratio of bird flu, with the result of making things seem much scarier than the facts would warrant.


Alternatives:
Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present
The Origins of Human Disease
Evolution of Infectious Disease
Plagues and Peoples

[Ray Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a student and teacher of history, I knew of the Spanish Flu and the impact of plaques and pandemics on history. However, in our current crisis, it has bothered me that I don't know more about the Spanish Flu that stuck at the end of World War I. In most history texts it's a footnote that Flu killed more people worldwide than the war had. Michael Oldstone's study attracted me because it seemed comprehensive, and it is.

The book is chronological beginning with ancient plagues and diseases based on archeology and anecdotal evidence. As we enter the modern world, Oldstone spends a great deal of time on Yellow Fever, Smallpox, Polio and related viruses. He covers the science and how researchers discovered and distributed inoculations and vaccines. As we reach the past 50 years, Oldstone explains the danger of the Anti-Vaxxers, biological warfare and people who don't believe in viruses. To someone without a science background, Oldstone seems to go into great detail on the science.

I was disappointed by the lack of story in the impact of viruses and plagues on people. It's not that Oldstone doesn't go into it, but I thought there might be more on the economic fallout, social impact and little known personal details. We spend weeks in school on the impact of the World Wars, but a virus kills a million people and that's that. While reading Oldstone it occurred to me the personal type of account I was hoping for may not be possible because viruses simply kill. The victims of the disease are silent. So, the death tolls and timelines are the history. This makes the book a bit dry, though Oldstone's style is engaging and clear.

I enjoyed this book and definitely gained insight into our current crisis. While I wish the personal stories went beyond those of the scientists searching for cures, I understand that such tales are limited. In wars that kill a million people there are heroes and victims, tales of struggle and triumph. When a disease kills a million people, all you have is death. Chilling. Well worth reading.