Disease And History

by Frederick F. Cartwright, Michael D. Biddiss

Famine, pestilence, and war, often feeding on each other, have challenged mankind throughout time. This book explores the impact of disease on the great events in history, demonstrating that even the most powerful individuals and societies can be and have been fatally weakened by disease. Plagues drained the strength of Ancient Athens and Rome. In the 14th century, The Black Death devastated Europe, signalling the end of feudalism and provoking the rise of dissident sects from within the church. Venereal disease could have prevented Henry VIII from securing the male heir he so desperately wanted, and certainly caused the insanity which afflicted Ivan the Terrible. In Mexico, smallpox was Cortez's most powerful ally against the Aztecs, while Queen Victoria transmitted haemophilia to her heirs, and consequently contributed to the collapse of the Russian monarchy. Each era has made some progress against physical and mental disorders, only to be faced with new and unforeseen threats. We, no less than other generations, are vulnerable to widespread outbreaks of disease.

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

230 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

Reviews

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by an historian and a medical doctor, this very timely read would fascinate anyone living during the 2020 Pandemic. Disease, no respecter of persons, is nature's great equalizer. This book explores many of the different epidemics throughout history, and how they changed the outcome of today.

The book is very well written, intriguing, and easy to read. It was very well researched and I would have been given 5 stars, had the author not shared much of his "anti God" revelations. This one fact was reflected in editorial content throughout the book. It was unnecessary and I found it offensive. When an author is presenting a factual text, his or her opinion on matters religious should be irrelevant.

Survival of the fittest applies to viruses as well as our species, and our antibiotic-dependent society is creating new antibiotic resistant strains. History shows that disease decreases down our numbers, as our population grows.

That was sort of the philosophy behind all these historical tragedies that changed history. Here are some specifics. The fall of the Roman empire is usually credited with attacking HUNS from the north, or the moral decay of Roman society. Yet it was disease that weakened Rome's hold on its kingdom. First century B.C. malaria killed thousands, followed by the plague of Orosius in 125 AD, the plague of Justinian. These plagues killed up to 10,000 daily; boats were filled with the bodies of the dead and abandoned at sea.

The black death, a pneumonic, bubonic plague spread by rat fleas, was a world wide pandemic that resulted in 24 million deaths in the 1300's. The name Black Death came from the swollen glands in the victim's neck, armpits, and inner thigh that turned black as they filled with blood.

Syphilis changed history in the 1500's. Russian Czar Ivan the Terrible's cerebral syphilis damaged his brain to the point that he had 1000's of subjects tortured and murdered, affecting the lives of millions.

Napoleon's 600,000 man army was decimated to less than 40,000 due to typhus and other factors, and led him to retreat against Russian forces.

Smallpox, mumps, and measles killed off native Americans more than the European guns in the 1500's, and allowed Hernando Cortez to defeat them and claim their land for Spain.

Queen Victoria contributed to the fall of the Russian Monarchy; her recessive gene of hemophilia became dominant in her granddaughter's son, Alexis. Alexis though heir apparent, could not become Czar causing the Bolshevik's to execute all his Imperial family. (You need to read this in the book to really understand why this happened.)

At 68 years old, and I am astounded by this 2020 pandemic and the impact and changes it has had in our lives. My lifetime has seen so many changes the eradication of horrible diseases--smallpox and polio for example. I still have the scar from the scratches the doctor put on my left arm as he injected a smallpox vaccine there. At age nine I remember going with my Campfire Girls group to visit a paralyzed 40 year old man, polio victim in an iron lung machine. Shortly thereafter my parents took me to a high school gymnasium where each of us in our small community was given a sugar cube with polio vaccine on it. No more polio--like that boy I saw in my school walking with leg brace and crutches, etc.

Medicine has given humans longer and happier lives--allowing our population to expand, but as history teaches us --the Great Equalizer, disease will sooner or later try to stymie our population growth.

[Anne Homeschooling-Mama · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a riveting read - must have been as it took less than 24 hours to devour cover to cover.
The author does a really good job of linking disease with the various twists and turns of history, while posing some thought-provoking questions such as: would Russian history have been different had young Alexi *not* been stricken with haemophilia; how might the history of the US been altered had not mass immigration from Ireland occurred in the wake of the Potato Famine?
The author points out how quickly famine, pestilience and war can contribute to one another with devastating results on an affected population, and demonstrates how quickly these threee can be enacted on a population.
The edition I read was published in 1972, so predates the world wide eradication of smallpox, and the banning of the use of DDT, which makes it a fascinating window into a world that has been largely forgotten in the West.
The one jarring note that I found was the author's clear anti-God stance, which was reflected in editorial content throughout the book. It was unnecessary and I found it very off-putting. When an author is presenting a factual text, his or her opinion on matters religious is irrelevant.
Other than that I found it a truly interesting and intriguing read, with much to ponder upon.

[Kulturna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ova knjiga može poslužiti kao polazište za neka daljnja istraživanja, ali da se treba strogo držati ovih podataka... Baš i ne. Danas je dosta toga otkriveno i ne slaže se sa navodima u knjizi. Također, bolest se ovdje spominje nekako uvijek pri kraju poglavlja jer većinu zauzima samo povijest. Neki dijelovi čak i nisu bitni za samu radnju i čine knjigu suhoparnom.

[Charlene Vickers · Rating 2 out of 5]

New edition is already dated, and some non-medical assumptions are very wrongheaded.

Examples of the first: it's asserted that Henry VIII had syphilis, that plague is properly called "bubonic plague", and that Queen Victoria was a carrier of Hemophilia A. None of these are true in the least, but to be fair the authors couldn't have known of these errors even in 2000. However, their analysis of history smacks too much of "evil royals/patricians/etc. keeping the common man down", which is hardly factually accurate in most of the instances they give.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly interesting book. Lots of good insights, into the impact of disease states on history, some of which I had never heard before. Some of it was repetitive, but for the most part Cartwright brought into malaria and syphillis especially with Henry the VIII that I had not read or heard. Most people should have some kind of background knowledge about Victoria's sons and grandsons, and the impact of Hemophilia on Russian history. The writing was excellent...I had a horrible time putting it down even though I had other things to do.

Some people will ask why only four stars if I liked the book. I did not like the formatting of the bibliography. When I'm reading a serious book like this, I want to be able to see where the author got his information from. There were no footnotes, or endnotes for the chapters. The author and the company who printed the book simply put the references at the end of the book...with no way to tell which reference belonged to which information in the book. I find that annoying and slightly lazy.

[Jeff Koslowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely five star history book! This should be mandatory reading for any World history teacher. It is half history, half analysis. It is an excellent telling of a particular period, what the relevant disease was, and how it affected a society. Don't let its copyright in the 1970's fool you. Its final interpretation is just as important 21 years into the century as it was more than 20 years before. You'll get an excellent telling about things like the plague, Henry VIII, the Romanovs, and many more. At just under 250 pages, it is a fast read and with the variety, you'll feel knowledgeable about subjects you may not have been known about before.

[Michael Leedom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of almost a dozen different prominent diseases, all placed in the context of relevant history. I held back on one star because the focus can be a little inconsistent from chapter to chapter. One of the better ones was The Mystery of Syphilis.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provided a lot of food for the imagination. What would have happened if Henry VIII hadn't had syphillis? No Church of England! I only wish the book had been longer.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating, but needs a good editor to deal with typos and sentence structure.

[Ben Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book on how little ‘recognition’ we give disease in how our histories have been moulded.
It starts with illness in ancient times and it’s hand in the break down of once great empires and finishes off with covid 19 and where we as a species can next expect an attack.
Some of the chapters where quite a slog to get through, namely the first, probably due to a lot of assumptions being made given the lack of recorded evidence from the time.
Once it gets into those illnesses which have a rich written history, the book gathers pace.

[Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author obviously knows what they're talking about in this book, but it is unbelievably dull. There are several political tangents throughout the book that don't wholly seem relevant to disease. On top of this, some of the chapters could have been more concise, and split up to make more sense. For example, Chapter 7, "Gin, Flu, and Tuberculosis" doesn't quite make sense. There's a link between Flu and Tuberculosis can be made with them both being viral disease, but the addition of 'Gin', or alcoholism in this case, has no connection to the rest of the chapter and does not fit.

[Michael Maciolek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a really intersting premise, about how disease affected history and how the two are intetwined. Each chapter gives specific exmaples, using the plague, typhoid, haemophilia, etc. That being said, this book took me a couple months to finish; it was dry and at times hard to read. I also have to bear in mind that it was publiushed in 1972, so some of the information is surely outdated.

I do not think I will read this again, but it was interesting nonetheless.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read an older version of this book. Printed in 1999. Nothing about COVID. Anyway, very British/European take on things. Includes infectious and hereditary diseases (e.g. Hemophilia). Would try not to read an old edition if possible. I think some of info in book is dated. Not current scientific thinking. OK read. Different slant. Can't recommend an older version.

[Deb Lancaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating. Particularly given the last 18 months of mis managed pandemic in the UK. We are currently at 1000 deaths a week with less attention paid than when we were at 2 deaths a week. Johnson and Co should read this book. Obviously they won't. But they should

[Alysia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting enough to keep me reading. I enjoyed the perspective of history viewed through the lens of disease, even if some of the information is quite dated and possibly incorrect.

It’s a quick and easy read that’s more of a mad dash through history with fascinating bits of trivia.

[Katie Frooman · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some painfully rose-colored descriptions of slavery but overall a very excellent and scientifically sound book.

[Dakota Waddell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dated (published in 1972) but overall good. Last chapter is slightly preachy and full of gloom, but strikes true.

[Summer Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad

A touch old and written academically so can feel long winded on the plus the author recognizes the Scriptures as historical text

[Hartley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grim. Wonderful. pg 207-214 interesting history lesson. pg. 237 par. 1 key to whole book.

[Vasili · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una lista de sucesos, un poco de síntomas y ya.

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, but I think the Covid bit could have waited a few years.

[Brett Bosley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dated (1972), and some of the later chapters, specifically on Hitler, and modern pollution and civic problems are a stretch. TBH, I would find a more recent treatment.

[Jorge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Siempre resulta estimulante estudiar la historia desde un ángulo distinto. El cuento de las batallas aprendidas con nombres y cifras, los gobiernos que asumen y son derrocados, imperios que se levantan y que se desmoronan puede ser interesante, pero nunca tan sabroso como el detalle, lo cotidiano, lo que parece "irrelevante" para las grandes pinceladas de la historia que transforman en épico algo que es simplemente cotidiano.

Las pestes, las enfermedades, la historia de la medicina enrevesada con el sacerdocio, la charlatanería y las supersticiones también son parte de la historia. El libro, muy interesante y entretenido, nos hace entender por qué la Peste era uno de los Cuatro Jinetes del Apocalipsis y le da un vuelco a nuestra forma de ver la historia: las "pestes" no han sido sólo pequeños accidentes en la historia. Muchas veces han sido los motores de importantes cambios sociales, como también lo han sido las hambrunas.

El libro explica, entre muchas otras cosas, cómo algunas pestes han cambiado el resultado de grandes guerras (Atenas-Esparta, la campaña napoleónica sobre Rusia), cómo la "Muerte Negra" provocó el temprano fin del feudalismo en Gran Bretaña, cómo influyó la sífilis de Iván "El Terrible" en el destino de Rusia y nos hace entender por qué los Europeos, aterrados por la malaria, tardaron siglos en explorar el interior de África.

La narración es amena, los autores están notablemente bien documentados y lo único que puede molestar es el tufillo cristiano con el que empieza el libro, pero que se diluye rápidamente ante una avalancha abrumadora de anécdotas y análisis de procesos históricos bajo una perspectiva totalmente nueva.

[Gavin Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a welcome return of a classic - a wonderful social history of disease through the ages, written by an eminent historian and an eminent physician. This pair manage to combine good story-telling with solid medical science, which is explained in a way that a layman like me can appreciate and understand. Together, they added not only to my medical knowledge, but also to my historical understanding. For example, having recently read War and Peace for the first time, it was enlightening to learn of the role played by typhus in Napoleon's demise. It was also enlightening, or perhaps sobering, to learn how European diseases assisted European colonisers in conquering foreign lands from Mexico to Africa (smallpox being the chief culprit), or how successive waves of the plague helped to shape power and politics, and life and death, throughout the middle ages. Despite our contemporary plagues (from Aids to Ebola), and the threat of the demise of antibiotics, I am grateful that I live with the collective medical knowledge of the 21st century after reading this book.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book making the argument that disease has made a major impact on history which has been a critical factor often overlooked by historians. It's from 1972, so it needs some updating. It was also followed by two much better books, "Plagues and Peoples" by William McNeill, from 1976, and "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond from 1997. I think we are convinced now that disease has had a major effect on history. All three of the books show how devastating the introduction of European diseases were upon native societies when introduced into the "New World." Cartwright goes into such topics as the bubonic plagues that affected Europe, the typhus epidemic that decimated Napoleon's Army in Russia ( having a worse effect on the men than the cold!), tropical diseases,and syphilis. Near the end there is an interesting analysis on the role that hemophilia had in bringing down the Romanov dynasty in Russia in 1917.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Throughout history there have been all kinds of diseases roaming this planet and affecting people and their lives. Disease has played a very peculiar part in history. It has vanished whole towns or races. Disease has even turned into an option when trying to control or kill people. There's a reazon for biological weapons in our modern world. And up to a certain point we could think of some diseases as nature's own weapon against humanity.

This book gives us a very interesting tour through diseases in history, and the role they have played in it all along. You can see how they spread, how people dealed with them, how they were puzzled by them, etc.
It's not a subject that appeals every reader, but if you want to wander in the terrain of health and disease in history, this is a good book indeed.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the apocalyptic warnings at the end of the book--it's something I've long thought about (since reading the Poisonwood Bible, maybe?) that disease is nature's great equalizer. Survival of the fittest applies to micro-organisms as well as other species, and our antibiotic-dependent society is brewing some powerful strains. And even if that weren't the case, a plague sweeps through every few hundred years, as history shows, and whittles down our numbers, just like any good predator will do when a species grows large in numbers. Interesting book! (this is by no means a summary--it's more about important historical events and the diseases working behind the scenes, in conquering Napoleon, for example)

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting effort to link disease with human history. As such, it is a readable account of a number of examples.

For one, how disease helped undermine the security of the Roman Empire. For another, how the Black Death affected European history. For still one more example, how disease affected the outcome of Spanish efforts to subdue native Americans in the 16th century. Finally, how disease wasted Napoleon's army in his abortive invasion of Russia. And so on. . . .

Sometimes, the srguments may be a bit simplistic, but--overall--a very readable volume that outlines the likely interaction of disease and history.

[Mary Hollingsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating account of the impact that disease has had on the history of the human race, strongly recommended for anyone who has ever wondered about the interplay between pestilence, famine and war. The authors, an historian and a doctor, use their joint skills to show how Man's ambitions have long been thwarted by outbreaks of deadly illnesses, bacterial, viral, genetic and others. The book shows, for example, how Napoleon's invasion of Russia failed after his armies were decimated by typhus, how cholera and scurvy contributed to the disasters of the Crimean War, and the role of Queen Victoria's haemophiliac gene behind the Russian Revolution. It is an extraordinary tale.

[Big H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and thought-inspiring. I believe that I would've given it a full five-star rating, though, if it had been written for a more general, layman's-term type of audience. Some of the wording was way over my head, using much medical jargon, and it would seem that the author just naturally assumed that anyone who would read this would be an expert in both medicine and history--nothing was explained or defined, which would've been beneficial.