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, but it also looks at what man has done and can do to overcome even the deadliest and bleakest of contagions.  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 wiped out 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 did not come from Spain; How disease "inspired" The Canterbury Tales, Wuthering Heights, the pop art of Keith Haring, and other art and literature; AIDS "patient zero"; The differences between COVID-19 and other coronaviruses; How climate change will affect future pandemics; The aftermath of various pandemics; Several modern diseases making a comeback; and much, much more. With more than 130 photos and graphics, this book is nicely illustrated. 

PLAGUES, PANDEMICS AND VIRUSES: From the Plague of Athens to Covid 19 By Heather E Quinlan. 416 Pages. 7x9 Paperback. Illustrated. Bibliography. Index.