Disease and History by Frederick F. CartwrightMy rating: 3 of 5 stars This was a riveting read - must have been as it took less than 24 hours to devour cover to cover. The author does a really good job of linking disease with the various twists and turns of history, while posing some thought-provoking questions such as: would Russian history have been different had young Alexi *not* been stricken with haemophilia; how might the history of the US been altered had not mass immigration from Ireland occurred in the wake of the Potato Famine? The author points out how quickly famine, pestilience and war can contribute to one another with devastating results on an affected population, and demonstrates how quickly these threee can be enacted on a population. The edition I read was published in 1972, so predates the world wide eradication of smallpox, and the banning of the use of DDT, which makes it a fascinating window into a world that has been largely forgotten in the West. The one jarring note that I found was the author's clear anti-God stance, which was reflected in editorial content throughout the book. It was unnecessary and I found it very off-putting. When an author is presenting a factual text, his or her opinion on matters religious is irrelevant. Other than that I found it a truly interesting and intriguing read, with much to ponder upon. View all my reviews >>
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