Epidemics and Society

From the Black Death to the Present

By: Frank M. Snowden

Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin

Length: 23 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Absolutely fascinating

This books is a fascinating look into the history of illness in our society - and how we have dealt with it as human beings. It shows that the chaos around COVID is nothing new.

Way, way better than I expected!

I had just finished "The Great Influenza" and wanted to learn more about some of the famous plagues and pandemics, and this looked like a pretty good source. It is a pretty massive book - over 20 hours. I thought, well, I'll just listed to the parts about the Black Death, smallpox, and maybe a bit more. I ended up listening to every single chapter! It really does cover disease AND society, and the book does a fantastic job of tying the two together in ways I was not prepared for, and for which I now have a much greater understanding. Covid had not appeared at the time of the writing, but everything we've seen during the last two years of this pandemic has echoes in the earlier experiences of influenza, cholera, TB, etc. People need to know this aspect of human history. The narration is a bit dry - very much like sitting in a university lecture hall - but it works well and held my interest.

History & facts presented in an interesting manner

Narrator was very good.
Subject matter is fascinating to me. It wasn't overly technical, since it is an historic presentation. It filled in gaps in my knowledge painlessly.

Better, more extensive, and deeper than expected

Years ago, I reserved what I thought would be a standard hotel room. Upon arriving, I was stunned to find myself on the top floor in a remarkable room. This book was a similar experience for me. I expected a fairly dry book focused on biomedical matters with just a bit of social context -- and I would have enjoyed that just fine. Instead, Professor Snowden provides an experience that is historical, literary, social, philosophical, and yes biomedical. His fascinating description of Napoleon's military history is just one example. Snowden manages to explore so many interesting topics within the context of a well-organized book while avoiding jargon. Dry? Not at all. Snowden's respect for his readers (listeners) is evident in a writing style that is thoroughly engaging and tightly logical.

A Plague On All Our Houses

Interesting and comprehensive look at some of the more spectacular of the diseases that have afflicted mankind over the centuries, plus a few more that continue to emerge as we soldier on.

To all you anti-vaxxers out there: one good sweeping epidemic of Ebola fever would probably encourage you to reconsider your position.

Narration is fine, except for a few startling missteps, e.g., "president" for "precedent".

A Must Read for All interested in the Health of our Planet and it’s Inhabitants

This book gives the ordinary non medical reader, not only a basic understanding of the biology and origin of many of the infectious diseases which have caused human suffering through the ages, but also it shows the personaleffect of the disease and it’s toll on families and societies. It gives examples of how diseases caused major shifts in past Historical events and even outcomes of War. It explains the failure of Governments, and Organizations to prioritize Health as a human right, but also as a mandate, due to our ever greater connectedness of our World Population through commerce and travel. It explains the traumatic effect of commercialization and denuding of forests, causing habitat destruction in contributing to more and more human and wildlife interraction, thus more options for animal to human transfer of diseases. This mass Webb of information, Insight, and warnings for today’s World leaders is told in a manner that is thoroughly interesting, informative, and motivating. The reader of this Book on Audiobooks is superb!

Excellent content horrible narrator

I wish this book would be reworked with a new narrator. The content is comprehensive and excellent, but the narrator sounds like a robot. Very sad. Important information.