Plagues Pandemics And Viruses by Heather E. Quinlan, Paperback | Indigo Chapters

It can come in waves - like tidal waves. It changes societies. It disrupts life. It ends lives. As far back as 3000 BCE (the Bronze Age), plagues have stricken mankind. COVID-19 is just the latest example and shows that we should not expect relief anytime soon. Yet, life continues, and knowledge and social cooperation can save lives. Viruses are neither alive nor dead and are the closest thing we have to zombies. Their only known function is to replicate themselves, which can have devastating consequences on their hosts. Most, but not all, bacteria are good for us. Some are truly horrific, including those that caused the bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic plagues. And viruses and bacteria are always morphing, evolving, and changing, making them hard to treat. Plagues, Pandemics and Viruses is an enlightening, and sometimes frightening, recounting of the destruction wrought by disease. From the plague of Athens to the COVID-19 pandemic, this fascinating tome covers the history, causes, medical treatments, human responses, and aftermath of the world's biggest pandemics as well as several modern diseases of note and those that are making a comeback. It chronicles the diseases that have inflicted man throughout the millennia, including ... - The bubonic plague/black plague, which killed 30% to 60% of Europe's population - The devastation to the indigenous population during the European colonization of the Americas - The 1918 Spanish Flu, which likely originated in France or Kansas, not Spain - How disease inspired" The Canterbury Tales, Wuthering Heights, the art of Keith Haring and others - AIDs "patient zero" - The differences between COVID-19 and other corona viruses - How climate change will affect future pandemics - The aftermath of various pandemics - ... and much, much more. Along with investigating some of history's most notorious pandemics and diseases, Plagues, Pandemics and Viruses takes a look at human resilience and what we've learned from the past. It looks at how science, the medical community, and governments have conquered or mitigated most epidemics even before they can turn into pandemics. It reviews the science of pandemics, preventative measures, and medical interventions. Richly illustrated, it also has a helpful bibliography and extensive index. This invaluable resource is designed to help you understand, and protect you from, plagues, pandemics, epidemics, viruses, and disease!" | Plagues Pandemics And Viruses by Heather E. Quinlan, Paperback | Indigo Chapters