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by: Howard Markel  List Price: $13.95 Amazon.com's Price: $11.16 You Save: $2.79 (20%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 614.49 EAN: 9780375726026 ISBN: 0375726020 Label: Vintage Manufacturer: Vintage Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 288 Publication Date: May 10, 2005 Publisher: Vintage Release Date: May 10, 2005 Studio: Vintage Related Items:
Editorial Review: Product Description: The struggle against deadly microbes is endless. Diseases that have plagued human beings since ancient times still exist, new maladies like SARS make their way into the headlines, we are faced with vaccine shortages, and the threat of germ warfare has reemerged as a worldwide threat. In this riveting account, medical historian Howard Markel takes an eye-opening look at the fragility of the American public health system. He tells the distinctive stories of six epidemics–tuberculosis, bubonic plague, trachoma, typhus, cholera, and AIDS–to show how how our chief defense against diseases from other countries has been to attempt to deny entry to carriers. He explains why this approach never worked, and makes clear that it is useless in today’s world of bustling international travel and porous borders. Illuminating our foolhardy attempts at isolation and showing that globalization renders us all potential inhabitants of the so-called Hot Zone, Markel makes a compelling case for a globally funded public health program that could stop the spread of epidemics and safeguard the health of everyone on the planet. Average Rating:
 Rating: - Acute Observations on Reactions to DiseaseMarkel's book discusses the American reaction to six major illnesses that struck the United States in the last century: tuberculosis, typhus, trachoma, bubonic plague, AIDS, and cholera. He juxtaposes the extremely egalitarian nature of deadly viruses with the decidedly discriminatory responses they evoke in human societies. The common knee-jerk reaction to the onset of disease is to blame the victims, who often are immigrants or 'Other' in some way . While Markel uses specific historical ... Read More Rating: - Epidemics and the Fear of the OtherHoward Markel's When Germs Travel shows what disastrous decisions can be made as fear of the other (often represented by newly arrived immigrants) combines with fear of contagious diseases. The author examines tuberculosis, an early 20th century outbreak of bubonic plague in San Francisco's Chinatown, trachoma at Ellis Island, typhus on the Mexican border, and Haitian refugees with AIDS. He also looks at his own repsonse when a possible case of cholera may be uncovered in Detroit. The author's historical ... Read More 
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