ENGLISH

Biology of Plagues: Evidence from Historical Populations

By Susan Scott , Christopher J. Duncan

Book information

Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
2001
ISBN
0521801508, 9780521801508, 9780511015991
Open Library ID
OL7754687M
Language
english
Format
DJVU
Filesize
4 MB (3874495 bytes)
Edition
1
Pages
434\434
Topic
History
Library
Kolxo3
DPI
600
Time added
2009-07-20 03:45:11

Description

The threat of unstoppable plagues, such as AIDS and Ebola, is always with us. In Europe, the most devastating plagues were those from the Black Death pandemic in the 1300s to the Great Plague of London in 1665. For the past 100 years it has been accepted that Yersinia pestis, the infective agent of bubonic plague, was responsible for these epidemics. This book combines modern concepts of epidemiology and molecular biology with computer-modeling. Applying these concepts to the analysis of historical epidemics, the authors show that they were not, in fact, outbreaks of bubonic plague. Biology of Plagues offers a completely new interdisciplinary interpretation of the plagues of Europe, and establishes them within a geographical, historical, and demographic framework. This fascinating detective work will be of interest to readers in the social and biological sciences, and lessons learned will underline the implications of historical plagues for modern-day epidemiology.

Similar books