Scourge

The Once and Future Threat of Smallpox

By: Jonathan B. Tucker

Narrated by: Patrick Cullen

Smallpox, the only infectious disease to have been eradicated, was one of the most terrifying of human scourges. It covered the skin with hideous, painful boils, killed a third of its victims, and left the survivors disfigured for life. In this riveting, often terrifying look at the history of smallpox, Jonathan B. Tucker tells the story of this deadly disease, the heroic efforts to eradicate it worldwide, and the looming dangers it still poses today.

Starting in the 16th century, the smallpox virus afflicted rich and poor, royalty and commoners, and repeatedly altered the course of human history.

No safe way of preventing smallpox existed until 1796, when an English country doctor named Edward Jenner developed a vaccine against it. During the ensuing 170 years, vaccination banished smallpox from the industrialized countries, but it remained a major cause of death in the developing world, killing almost two million people per year. Finally, in 1967, the World Health Organization launched an intensified global campaign to eradicate smallpox. By early 1978, the disease had been eliminated worldwide.

During the 1980s, Soviet leaders cynically exploited the world's new vulnerability to smallpox by mass-producing the virus as a strategic weapon. In recent years, concern over the possible return of smallpox has taken an even greater urgency with the realization that clandestine stocks of the virus may still exist.

©2001 Jonathan B. Tucker (P)2002 Blackstone Audiobooks

Had to listen to it twice!

Listened to this book on a long drive from San Jose back home to AZ. There are some extremely interesting parts mostly having to do with small pox as a potential for biological warfare. As a retired AF officer and with a degree in microbiology, I’m listening to what should’ve probably been classified information forever considering we now have rogue nations and the threat of acts of terrorism. Discussed what the Russians were developing (Cold War era) and it was detailed and interesting. You listen for a long time before it’s mentioned the information was reclassified

Eye opening and relevant!

Those who don't learn and remember history are doomed to repeat it. This surprising account of the eradication of smallpox not only brought to life an achievement in my lifetime that most take for granted , but it also uncovers the fact that we should have been much more prepared for a pandemic like COVID and how people would respond. It also adds a frightening look at the biological weapons race many aren't aware of. I just wish the narration was better. It was too slow, and kund if robot-like. To have the name of the smallpox virus mispronounced from first to last page is just sloppy. Other scientific terms were also mispronounced, as well. You would think a narrator would do their homework before embarking on a science book!

Interesting subject.

I was always interested in this subject matter. So this book was great for me, has history, some science, and some scenarios.

Interesting, but with annoying mispronunciations

The book is quite interesting as an overview of the challenge faced in eradicating smallpox in the 20th century. The book is detailed and addresses WHO efforts worldwide as well as political challenges that impeded the work.

The narrator has an old-fashioned newscaster's tone and pacing, but annoying mispronounces many ordinary words. I am willing to overlook mispronunciation of technical terms, but the narrator should be able to speak standard English.

Great writing, bad voice actor

Great content but the voice actor’s frequent mispronunciations greatly took away from my enjoyment of the story.

Everyone should listen to this

Well written and read. Can get a little technical but I learned quite a bit from this book. This story is important in understanding more of the ease of spread of current diseases and the near impossible fight against them. Great work...

Everything you wanted to know about Smallpox

Seminal book on the science and politics of Smallpox throughout history, and the tug of war between states to hold on to the virus for later, possibly destructive, uses. Gives you a great look at the workings of the WHO, and public health in general. Well researched. The author was robably was granted access to WHO and CDC files, naming patients, dates, medical files, etc. The ending is so political that one loses track, but in general, a great book well narrated.

Interesting, but a LOT of mispronunciations

I'm usually quite lenient when it comes to narrators, but the number of mispronunciations here is staggering. First off he mispronounces variola, which he literally has to read hundreds of times as it's the name of the smallpox virus and the way the author usually refers to it. It's not just variola though, it's Kazakhstan, Hamas, virulation, and many other common names and words. I don't understand how the narrator has gone through his whole life without ever hearing someone say Kazakhstan... and a lot of the tail end of the smallpox era was in India and the Middle East so just be ready to hear everyone's names getting butchered. It's as if he has an intuition about which syllables to emphasize on words he hasn't encountered, but it's the exact opposite of where it's supposed to be.

Dreaded Disease

Would you listen to Scourge again? Why?

no - it was a fascinating tale - until it got to the political entanglements at the end of the book

What did you like best about this story?

Well written - excellent historical account of the history of a disease that often changed the course of history and how nations cooperated to eradicate it.

Which scene was your favorite?

The difference between the eradication of smallpox in Africa compared to India and how industrialization made it more difficult to eradicate.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no . . . not that kind of book - but the political posturing at the end made it very difficult to finish!

Any additional comments?

The narrator did an excellent job of wading through some pretty scientific names - but mispronounced

loved

2001 copyright, so the epilogue you can kind of write a little more for yourself. as we allnow have a piece of the end of this story. at least, what to make of which way we have gone in preventing diseases...