The Russell Cawthorn Collection
The Great War 1914-1918, and Associated Conflicts Medical The Spanish Influenza Pandemic
RCC8015
The Great Influenza. The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History
ISBN
9780143036494
Purchase Price
£13.89 (new)
Date Purchased
January 5, 2021
Publisher
Penguin Books (2004, New York)
Notes
This is a 546 page Penguin paperback, which makes it look a lot more "populist" than it actually is. The book is written b y a professor of Public Health Studies, and it was not only a New York Times Bestseller, but also a good, comprehensive academic contribution to the subject of the Spanish Influenza Pandemic, all the more important with the Covi-19 Pandemic having occurred and thus raised awareness of the inevitability and effect of coronavirus and similar outbreaks. This is an American book by an American author, and this version benefits greatly by an Afterword which the author has recently added. That said, we view some of the text as otiose: there are inordinately long descriptions of the various American medics and scientists involved in fighting the 1918 virus. Admittedly, this pandemic may well have started in the USA and the country was undoubtedly stricken as a result, but there is overkill. And there is almost no mention of the modern theory that the chemical war on the Western Front may well have caused the mutation into the second wave and much more deadly strain of the virus. The subject of the book is clearly one which, especially with our recent experiences, is of the utmost importance. It should be studied by all governments.
9780143036494
Purchase Price
£13.89 (new)
Date Purchased
January 5, 2021
Publisher
Penguin Books (2004, New York)
Notes
This is a 546 page Penguin paperback, which makes it look a lot more "populist" than it actually is. The book is written b y a professor of Public Health Studies, and it was not only a New York Times Bestseller, but also a good, comprehensive academic contribution to the subject of the Spanish Influenza Pandemic, all the more important with the Covi-19 Pandemic having occurred and thus raised awareness of the inevitability and effect of coronavirus and similar outbreaks. This is an American book by an American author, and this version benefits greatly by an Afterword which the author has recently added. That said, we view some of the text as otiose: there are inordinately long descriptions of the various American medics and scientists involved in fighting the 1918 virus. Admittedly, this pandemic may well have started in the USA and the country was undoubtedly stricken as a result, but there is overkill. And there is almost no mention of the modern theory that the chemical war on the Western Front may well have caused the mutation into the second wave and much more deadly strain of the virus. The subject of the book is clearly one which, especially with our recent experiences, is of the utmost importance. It should be studied by all governments.
