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Pathogenesis : a history of the world in eight plagues / by Kennedy, Jonathan,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A sweeping look at how the major transformations in history--from the rise of Homo sapiens to the birth of capitalism--have been shaped not by humans but by germs. According to the accepted narrative of progress, humans have thrived thanks to their brains and brawn, collectively bending the arc of history. But in this revelatory book, professor Jonathan Kennedy argues that the myth of human exceptionalism overstates the role that we play in social and political change. Instead, it is the humble microbe that wins wars and topples empires. Drawing on the latest research in fields ranging from genetics and anthropology to archaeology and economics, Pathogenesis takes us through 60,000 years of history, exploring eight major outbreaks of infectious disease that have made the modern world. Bacteria and viruses were protagonists in the demise of the Neanderthals, the growth of Islam, the transition from feudalism to capitalism, the devastation wrought by European colonialism, and the evolution of the United States from an imperial backwater to a global superpower. Even Christianity rose to prominence in the wake of a series of deadly pandemics that swept through the Roman Empire in the second and third centuries: Caring for the sick turned what was a tiny sect into one of the world's major religions. By placing disease at the center of his wide-ranging history of humankind, Kennedy challenges some of the most fundamental assumptions about our collective past--and urges us to view this moment as another disease-driven inflection point that will change the course of history. Provocative and brimming with insight, Pathogenesis transforms our understanding of the human story"--
Subjects: Diseases and history.; Epidemics; Plague;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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A history of the world in six plagues : how contagion, class, and captivity shaped us, from Cholera to COVID-19 / by Bonhomme, Edna,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Epidemic diseases enter the world by chance, but they become catastrophic by human design. With clear-eyed research and lush prose, A History of the World in Six Plagues shows that throughout history, outbreaks of disease have been exacerbated by and gone on to further expand the racial, economic, and sociopolitical divides we allow to fester in times of good health. Princeton-trained historian Edna Bonhomme's examination of humanity's disastrous treatment of pandemic disease takes us across place and time from Port-au-Prince to Tanzania, and from plantation-era America to our modern COVID-19-scarred world to unravel shocking truths about the patterns of discrimination in the face of disease. Based on in-depth research and cultural analysis, Bonhomme explores Cholera, HIV/AIDS, the Spanish Flu, Sleeping Sickness, Ebola, and COVID-19 amidst the backdrop of unequal public policy. But much more than a remarkable history, A History of the World in Six Plagues is also a rising call for change"--
Subjects: Communicable diseases; Diseases and history.; Epidemics; Plague;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Bitten : the secret history of lyme disease and biological weapons / by Newby, Kris,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A riveting thriller reminiscent of The Hot Zone, this true story dives into the mystery surrounding one of the most controversial and misdiagnosed conditions of our time--Lyme disease--and of Willy Burgdorfer, the man who discovered the microbe behind it, revealing his secret role in developing bug-borne biological weapons, and raising terrifying questions about the genesis of the epidemic of tick-borne diseases affecting millions of Americans today. While on vacation on Martha's Vineyard, Kris Newby was bitten by an unseen tick. That one bite changed her life forever, pulling her into the abyss of a devastating illness that took ten doctors to diagnose and years to recover: Newby had become one of the 300,000 Americans who are afflicted with Lyme disease each year. As a science writer, she was driven to understand why this disease is so misunderstood, and its patients so mistreated. This quest led her to Willy Burgdorfer, the Lyme microbe's discoverer, who revealed that he had developed bug-borne bioweapons during the Cold War, and believed that the Lyme epidemic was started by a military experiment gone wrong. In a superb, meticulous work of narrative journalism, Bitten takes readers on a journey to investigate these claims, from biological weapons facilities to interviews with biosecurity experts and microbiologists doing cutting-edge research, all the while uncovering darker truths about Willy. It also leads her to uncomfortable questions about why Lyme can be so difficult to both diagnose and treat, and why the government is so reluctant to classify chronic Lyme as a disease. A gripping, infectious page-turner, Bitten will shed a terrifying new light on an epidemic that is exacting an incalculable toll on us, upending much of what we believe we know about it"--
Subjects: Lyme disease; Lyme disease; Lyme disease;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Be kind, be calm, be safe : four weeks that shaped a pandemic / by Henry, Bonnie,Dr.,author.; Henry, Lynn,author.;
Dr. Bonnie Henry has been called "one of the most effective public health figures in the world" by The New York Times. She has been called "a calming voice in a sea of coronavirus madness," and "our hero" in national newspapers. But in the waning days of 2019, when the first rumours of a strange respiratory ailment in Wuhan, China began to trickle into her office in British Colombia, these accolades lay in a barely imaginable future. Only weeks later, the whole world would look back on the previous year with the kind of nostalgia usually reserved for the distant past. With a staggering suddenness, our livelihoods, our closest relationships, our habits and our homes had all been transformed. In a moment when half-truths threatened to drown out the truth, when recklessness all too often exposed those around us to very real danger, and when it was difficult to tell paranoia from healthy respect for an invisible threat, Dr. Henry's transparency, humility, and humanity became a beacon for millions of Canadians. And her trademark enjoinder to be kind, be calm, and be safe became words for us all to live by. Coincidentally, Dr. Henry's sister, Lynn, arrived in BC for a long-planned visit on March 12, just as the virus revealed itself as a pandemic. For the four ensuing weeks, Lynn had rare insight into the whirlwind of Bonnie's daily life, with its moments of agony and gravity as well as its occasional episodes of levity and grace. Both a global story and a family story, Be Kind, Be Calm, Be Safe combines Lynn's observations and knowledge of Bonnie's personal and professional background with Bonnie's recollections of how and why decisions were made, to tell in a vivid way the dramatic tale of the four weeks that changed all our lives. Be Kind, Be Calm, Be Safe is about communication, leadership, and public trust; about the balance between politics and policy; and, at heart, about what and who we value, as individuals and a society.
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Henry, Bonnie, Dr.; Henry, Lynn.; British Columbia. Office of the Provincial Health Officer; Health officers; Sisters; COVID-19 (Disease); Epidemics;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Stronger : the untold story of muscle in our lives / by Gross, Michael Joseph,author.;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 369-431) and index.An account of the history and science of muscle and weight training, from the Trojan War to modern-day research, highlighting how strength-building exercises can prevent and treat chronic diseases, improve quality of life, and challenge age-old biases against muscle.
Subjects: Human physiology.; Muscles.; Musculoskeletal system.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The vaccine race : science, politics, and the human costs of defeating disease / by Wadman, Meredith.;
Includes bibliographical references, Internet addresses and index.LSC
Subjects: MMR vaccine; Vaccines; Human experimentation in medicine;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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A sick history of medicine : a warts-and-all book full of fun facts and disgusting discoveries / by Poleksic, Jelena.; Kasperowicz, Ella.;
A disgusting history of medicine through the ages from Jelena Poleksic, featuring hilarious illustrations by Ella Kasperowicz.
Subjects: Illustrated works.; Trivia and miscellanea.; Medicine; Medical care; Diseases;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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In pursuit of memory : the fight against Alzheimer's / by Jebelli, Joseph,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Subjects: Alzheimer's disease; Alzheimer's disease.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Crisis in the red zone : the story of the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, and of the outbreaks to come / by Preston, Richard,1954-author.;
The 2013-2014 Ebola epidemic was the deadliest ever, but the outbreaks continue. 'Crisis in the Red Zone' is a gripping account of the doctors and scientists fighting to protect us and is an urgent wake-up call about the future of emerging viruses. Soon to be a National Geographic original miniseries airing May 27-30, 2019.
Subjects: Ebola virus disease; Epidemics; Ebola virus disease; Epidemics; Ebola virus disease; Epidemics;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Booster shots : the urgent lessons of measles and the uncertain future of children's health / by Ratner, Adam J.,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A pediatrician and infectious disease specialist warns of the resurgence of measles, the anti-vax movement, and how we can prepare for the next pandemic"--
Subjects: Communicable diseases; Measles; Vaccination;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Results 1 to 10 of 85 |