Watts Reference: Mapping Epidemics : A Historical Atlas of Disease

Presents basic information about diseases from anthrax to yellow fever, recounts their history and effects, and offers maps of their incidence and spread.

Grade 8 Up-More than 30 potentially deadly human illnesses are profiled in this volume. Ancient scourges such as leprosy, smallpox, and cholera are joined by more contemporary infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS and dengue hemorrhagic fever. Both the alphabetical arrangement of articles by disease name and the extensively cross-referenced index enhance the ease of access. Each two-to-six page article includes a boxed compilation of basic facts and a map showing global distribution. Most present the causative agent, transmission systems, treatment, prevention, and control measures. The bulk of each article links the history of human experience with the illness, major outbreaks, and its modus operandi. The clear role that specific epidemics have played in changing the course of history is particularly intriguing. A useful glossary appears at the beginning of the text and includes photographs of bacterial and virus microbes and details significant differences between the two. Other photographs and illustrations are plentiful, full color, and varied in content from article to article. Anyone studying the history of human civilization or epidemiology will find this information-rich compilation fascinating and useful for reports.
Ann G. Brouse, Big Flats Branch Library, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Organized alphabetically by disease, this fact-filled resource should prove an outstanding research tool. A brief introduction, which suggests the scope and impact of infectious diseases on the world population, is followed by a glossary of meaningful terms that appear in the main text. Thirty-two diseases (including AIDS, E. coli, Legionnaires', syphilis, and TB) are discussed, most within one double-page spread each. Attractive multicolored maps provide a clear, understandable overview of where and when the disease developed, and a fact box heads each discussion with information on global distribution, causative agent, transmission, symptoms, treatment, and prevention and control. A handy chronology spans history from 8500 B.C.E. to the introduction of the West Nile virus to North America in 1999. This may be condensed, but it's still impressive, offering a wealth of information expressed clearly enough for younger students and deeply enough for students doing higher-level research. Roger Leslie
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