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Viruses, Plagues and History
by
Michael B.A. Oldstone
3.83 · Rating details · 596 ratings · 38 reviews
The story of viruses and the story of humanity have been intertwined since the dawn of history. The first small cities formed not only the cradle of civilization, but the spawning ground for the earliest viral epidemics, the first opportunity for viruses to find a home in the human herd. This is a story of fear and ignorance, as everything from demons and the wrath of the gods to minority groups have been blamed for epidemics from smallpox to yellow fever to AIDS. It is a story of grief and heartbreak, as hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, are wiped out in a single year. And it is a story of great bravery and sacrifice, as doctors and nurses put themselves in harm's way to combat yellow fever in Memphis and Ebola in Zaire, and as researchers risk their own lives to test theories of vaccines and the transmission of disease.
Now, in Viruses, Plagues, and History, Michael B. A. Oldstone tells all these stories as he illuminates the history of the devastating diseases that have tormented humanity.
Oldstone focuses his tale on a few of the most famous viruses humanity has battled, beginning with some we have effectively defeated, such as smallpox, polio, and measles. Nearly 300 million people were killed by smallpox in this century alone -- more than were killed in all the wars of the twentieth century combined. The author presents a vivid account of the long campaign against the virus, the insightful work of Edward Jenner, who created the smallpox vaccine from cowpox virus in 1796, and the monumental efforts of D. A. Henderson and an army of W.H.O. health care workers to finally eradicate smallpox. The smallpox virus remains the only organism that we have deliberately pushed to complete extinction in the wild.
Oldstone then describes the fascinating viruses that have captured headlines in more recent years: Ebola and other hemorrhagic fevers, which literally turn their victims' organs to a bloody pulp; the Hantavirus outbreaks in the southwestern United States and elsewhere; mad cow disease, a frightening illness made worse by government mishandling and secrecy; and, of course, AIDS, often called "the plague of our time." 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, more than twice the military and civilian casualties of the First World War -- will make a comeback.
Viruses have enormous power. They have wiped out cities, brought down dynasties, and helped destroy civilizations. But, as Michael Oldstone reveals, scientific research has given us the power to tame many of these viruses as well. Viruses, Plagues, and History shows us the panorama of humanity's long-standing conflict with our unseen viral enemies, from our successes to our continuing struggles. Oldstone's book is a vivid history of a fascinating field, and a highly reliable dispatch from a worker on the frontiers of this ongoing campaign. (less)
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Paperback, 240 pages
Published April 20th 2000 by Oxford University Press, USA (first published January 1st 1998)
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Nov 16, 2012Mike rated it liked it · review of another edition
Recommends it for: Anyone
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.
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Oct 06, 2014Cadie Sommer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: non-fiction, favorites, highly-rated
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! (less)
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Nov 07, 2010Steven Belanger rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
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.
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Sep 11, 2019Megan rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: standalone, nonfiction, dnf, audiobook, history, academic, normal-people-books, science, overdrive-tbd
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.
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May 15, 2014Dan rated it it was ok
Shelves: 2014
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. (less)
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Jun 03, 2012Betsy Curlin rated it it was amazing
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.
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Jan 03, 2017Irena Feng rated it liked it · review of another edition
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. (less)
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Jul 12, 2009Awallens rated it it was ok
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.
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Jun 30, 2010Diana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
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.
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Oct 27, 2010Virginia rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2005books, nonfiction
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.
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Aug 22, 2019Dennis Littrell rated it liked it
Don't give up on this one too soon
This is an good book that unfortunately starts out in a very forbidding manner with a difficult (at least for me) introduction to the principles of virology in Chapter 1 followed by the principles of immunology in Chapter 2, but then gets very readable. The material on smallpox and yellow fever is fascinating. Oldstone leaves it unclear whether mad cow disease is caused by a miss-manufactured prion protein or by a virus: Others books, including Richard Rhodes' Deadly Feasts: Tracking the Secrets of a Terrifying New Plague (1997), clearly cite the cause as being faulty prion protein production in the brain.
This is not for the squeamish. I confess that there were twenty or so pages on polio that I skipped, not wanting to relive that sadness, although of course the defeat of polio is one of the great triumphs in the history of medicine. Incidentally, the title owes something to the classic Rats, Lice and History, by Hans Zinsser, first published in 1934, a book that has enjoyed a well-deserved and remarkable commercial success not easily duplicated.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
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Jan 21, 2018Monical rated it did not like it
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. (less)
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Mar 25, 2018Rogue Reader rated it really liked it
Shelves: medicine
Dense and technical at times, a good and detailed overview of man's most dangerous and persistent enemies, though now dates as written in 199. Chapters on Smallpox, Yellow Fever, Measles, Poliomyelitis, viral plagues including hemorrhagic fevers, HIV, influenza and others. Anti-vaxxers need to read the facts of history, not the propaganda.
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Jun 16, 2018Sian Bradshaw rated it really liked it
This book is a very interesting read for those with expert knowledge. Had I tried to read this before my recent studies, a lot of it would have gone over my head. It was a good read and the historical context of smallpox and yellow fever was new to me.
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Nov 18, 2019Jenny rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2019
Pretty out of date by now, but I still found it fascinating.
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Jan 10, 2020WheeldonHS rated it liked it
Shelves: stem, 2020-non-fiction, 2020-kel
Far more US-centric than I expected it to be.
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Apr 05, 2020Adam rated it liked it
However...
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Aug 04, 2019Robert & Kelly Cooney rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Excellent read
Great book. Informative and clear on the devastation uncontrolled microbes can have on humanity. Well worth reading and learning from events where microbes shaped our history.
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Mar 28, 2020Alexander Anderson rated it really liked it
It’s a bit dry. The author is a Virologist, not a historian or storyteller, do not expect a seat-of-your pants drama or unputdownable comprehensive historical narrative.
The most relevant information is covered with the material on the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 and the various SARS family of viruses. The information on Polio will probably only be of interest to anyone over 50 who still remembers his school vaccinations against it.
As a little relevant reading for an education about viruses and how they are spread, as well as a startling accurate prediction of the of the possibility of a crises like the current COViD-19 epidemic, it is certainly worth your time. Especially, if you have recently found yourself with extra time on your hands due to the current COViD-19 crises. (less)
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Nov 15, 2009Tippy Jackson rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: disease, science-history, medicine, health
This was not my favorite general pathology book. It really wasn't very memorable. It's a little outdated. To be fair, I've studied/read about a lot of this stuff already. Still, that's because I find it fascinating and this book wasn't fascinating. It was really too short to explore everything the title suggests. If you're looking for a slightly out of date, but extraordinarily interesting pathology book, I recommend "The coming plague" instead. Good stuff there and even though some of the knowledge of HIV is deficient, the history of this disease is still incredibly relevant. (less)
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Jan 26, 2015Stephie Williams rated it liked it · review of another edition
A good book, but not great. The book was pretty informative overall. It start with what seemed such promising beginning. However, I quickly discovered the dryness of Oldstone's prose—I was continually thirsty throughout. It just was not a gripping narative. For example: Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. (less)
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Nov 25, 2008Sarah rated it liked it
Shelves: medical, non-fiction, 2009, free-library
this was a fascinating book, but VERY poorly edited. i would have given it four stars if it weren't for the crap editing.
and, of course, the book is 10 years old, so some of the information was out of date.
however, it was still a good read for someone as intrigued by infectious disease as i am.
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Nov 11, 2015Jean Brandenburg rated it liked it
Shelves: jean-has-read-these
I picked up this book for a quarter at the library sale. While there were pages of dry, technical boring stuff in every chapter, there was also lots of interesting stuff in every chapter. Each chapter was a different disease, like smallpox, polio, yellow fever, hanta virus, measles etc.
I learned a lot, and it's also sort of scary, though virus hunters are still working on cures.
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Jul 21, 2012RJ rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: public-health-related
solid descriptions of the histories and fights against "old world" diseases, but the emerging infection info is a little sparse (understandable for an older book). this is definitely not a pop sci read, but if you're very interested in the topic it's worth a shot. be warned - it's dense. not really for the casual reader, i think, but if you're into virology or public health overall, go ahead.
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Oct 07, 2008Jamie is currently reading it
Ultimately unsatisfying, due to a style that doesn't achieve the excitement of The Microbe Hunters (as the author had attempted, based on his own words in the intro), and in fact doesn't really do much in terms of the history or the science.
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Aug 31, 2009Franziska rated it really liked it
Shelves: health-literature, non-fiction
This was a pretty well-written book on some of the major infectious diseases we've had/have and how we've conquered them. I thought it was a neat book, and it made me feel better about vaccinating my kids.
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May 24, 2014Susan Olesen rated it it was ok
Not bad, lots of history, but not always dates when you want them. And so out of date they were still arguing over prion vs. virus for CFJ/Mad Cow. Interesting without bogging down, but there are now much more up-to-date books out there.
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Apr 05, 2013Chris Pederson rated it really liked it
Shelves: non-fiction
Interesting read... gives a summary of how the immune system works and how we have discovered/combated diseases like small pox, yellow fever, polio, measles... too bad anti-vaxxers are making some of these come back.
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Mar 01, 2012Pancha rated it it was ok
Shelves: science, medicine
Basic info on viruses, what they are, how they infect. Also includes brief histories of diseases we've eradicated or severely limited (smallpox, measles, polio) and recently emergent viruses (AIDS, Ebola, Lassa, Hanta). Good if you're looking for a quick overview.
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Feb 22, 2010Karen rated it liked it
This book discusses several very interesting subjects. It would have gotten four stars except that, as it is over ten years old, some of the information is out of date. It's still worth reading if the subject matter interests you.
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eview
"Readable books about viruses by experts are not plentiful enough, and the point of this essay is to recommend a recent arrival by the American virologist Michael Oldstone. In 17 chapters, the author gives the non-specialist reader a complete account of viruses and virus-caused plagues such as smallpox, yellow fever, measles, polio, hemorrhagic fever, Lassa fever, ebola, hantavirus, SARS, West Nile Virus, mad cow disease, and influenza...Read this book (available now)--it's a treat." --Dan Agin, Huffington Post "...marvelously clear to lay readers, yet detailed enough to please and fascinate the professional."--Doody's
Product Description
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 years: 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.
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Photoguy41
4.0 out of 5 stars First two chapters may be too academic for lay persons.Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I am a retired microbiologist and do enjoy reading history books on science. The first two chapters had a pretty good review of how the immune system works. But, just a caution, might be too technical for many. However, just skip over to the first chapter on Smallpox and all is well. Well-researched; explanations are good, especially all of the history. Lots of sourcess.
18 people found this helpful
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Susan Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Love Love Love this bookReviewed in the United States on March 13, 2020
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I highly recommend purchasing this book. It is very difficult to put it down when you start reading it. This writer has done an excellent job documenting in detail many of the killer viruses that have affected the world and how politics and religion impeded the success of diagnosing and treating the patients who suffered. It was intriguing to read the stories of people throughout history who treated these patients and the many personal accounts of people and events that explain in interesting detail about the ones who lived and the ones who died. You will have a much better understanding of killer viruses and become versed on the history of the diagnoses and treatment. Don’t hesitate purchasing this book if it is available. You will be pleased and it will greatly expand your knowledge if you are in the medical profession or not. It is very easy to read and understand for anyone despite their background.
5 people found this helpful
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Kayla
5.0 out of 5 stars FantasticReviewed in the United States on May 22, 2018
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I haven't finished this book yet (it is my daily metro-commute read) but I am extremely pleased with the writing and subjects. Although I am not a virologist, I have always found biology, epidemiology, and medical history to be interesting and this book hits all those points and then some. I would not recommend it to the casual, non-medical reader, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in medical history and science.
11 people found this helpful
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Teresa Rich
4.0 out of 5 stars Michael Oldstone covers the material very well. As a ...Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2016
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Michael Oldstone covers the material very well. As a virologist, I found it interesting and enlightening and I learned some things that I didn't pick up in my immunology courses. Parts of the book are at a college reading level, which may be too detailed for the casual reader, but the sections on the history of various viral diseases is very readable.
16 people found this helpful
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Marissa
5.0 out of 5 stars Must readReviewed in the United States on August 6, 2018
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This book is very informative. It not only goes into the history of all these viruses but it also gives you an overview on how viruses and vaccines work. The author explains everything very well and in ways anyone can understand. I believe everyone should read this. Especially those who are against vaccines.
5 people found this helpful
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Ann Julia
4.0 out of 5 stars I love learing about diseasesReviewed in the United States on May 20, 2018
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I have been searching for a book dedicated to telling the story of measles forever, and this one does. I love learing about diseases, so this was right up my alley.
6 people found this helpful
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Nico Vela
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book on Disease.Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2019
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A great book that showcases how disease has, at times, shaped our history.
3 people found this helpful
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Dr. MonkeyBrainsBob
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Scientific Detective StoryReviewed in the United States on November 21, 2014
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This second edition is a fascinating view of history based on the powerful influence of plagues and viruses, not human politics. It also details the investigative work of pioneers in biology in discovering agents we take for granted today. In light of ebola (and possibly other future epidemics/pandemics), the book offers insight into containment and management. Overall, an exciting reading experience.
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Nick
4.0 out of 5 stars Very readable, but you may wish to miss out some of the first few chaptersReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 2013
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This is a good read if you are interested in viruses. The early chapters are a bit technical in describing how viruses work and how the body defends (or otherwise) itself. But this can be skimmed if you are not scientific as there are some good summary paragraphs in the text.
The descriptions of each virus and how it affects and has affected human and non human life and history are top class.
For example, how smallpox has been indicated in human life since antiquity, through the affect on American Civil war to modern terror worries. How Lincoln survived the disease, Edward Jenner and Cowpox, variolation and vaccination, and anti viral treatment example, eradication of the disease and so on. I am glad to say that these chapters are not too detailed nor too scientific (I am an ex-scientist) and provide marvellous high level reading.
Recommended if you take an interest in how viruses work, how we defend ourselves and how they have affected the world.
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