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Epidemics and Society

From the Black Death to the Present

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Epidemics and Society

Written by: Frank M. Snowden
Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
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A "brilliant and sobering" (Paul Kennedy, Wall Street Journal) look at the history and human costs of pandemic outbreaks

As seen on 60 Minutes

The World Economic Forum number one book for context on the coronavirus outbreak

This sweeping exploration of the impact of epidemic diseases looks at how mass infectious outbreaks have shaped society, from the Black Death to today, and in a new preface addresses the global threat of COVID-19. In a clear and accessible style, Frank M. Snowden reveals the ways that diseases have not only influenced medical science and public health, but also transformed the arts, religion, intellectual history, and warfare.

A multidisciplinary and comparative investigation of the medical and social history of the major epidemics, this volume touches on themes such as the evolution of medical therapy, plague literature, poverty, the environment, and mass hysteria. In addition to providing historical perspective on diseases such as smallpox, cholera, and tuberculosis, Snowden examines the fallout from recent epidemics such as HIV/AIDS, SARS, and Ebola and the question of the world's preparedness for the next generation of diseases.

©2019 Frank M. Snowden (P)2020 Tantor Medicine & Health Care Industry Science
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Just have completed half the book, at present listening to the germ theory of disease. This book is great and a awesome overview of not only the diseases that has visited us in the past, but also medical theories and government responses to these diseases.

This book is mandatory reading! For history bluffs


The narrator has done a good job and credit must be given to his narration which makes the audio version a great listen.

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A stunning meditation on the history of public health over the millennia. Grab it if you like biology. Oh just grab it anyway! It was worth every second of the time I spent reading it. Good narration too!

Brilliant Book!

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