Spanish Influenza. Ebola. The Black Death. As a species, human beings are most excellent at dying. A Short History of Disease by Sean Martin has a long boring description for a book that is both interesting and satisfying. Martin does a breakdown of just why so many diseases spread through the human race, whether or not they were deadly. He covers everything from the ancient past to the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
One particular section of A A Short History of Disease was a look at the Biblical plagues of Egypt. While I am religious, it was interesting to see Sean Martin’s scientific perspective on the book of Exodus.
A Short History of Disease does give scientific explanations, so if medical history is not your cup of tea I would leave this one on the bookshelf. However, if you’re interested in the way disease spreads both physically and by human behavior, this book is a fantastic look.
<A Short History of Disease is available from Trafalgar Square Publishing.
