Thanks to NetGalley for granting my wish to access this ARC! For anyone who is interested in the history of disease, this book is a dream come true. The author delves into each disease with a thoughtful manner and straightforward way, using maps of the world to show the spread of each illness. These maps add a new dimension of understanding to the text, and underscore how devastating the spread of disease can be. The trail of germs is traced across the continents for each disease, adding a quiet horror to the author’s words. This alone makes the book worth buying – no other book I’ve read with this subject has illustrations quite like this. Interspersed in the chapters are other bits of artwork, either paintings of people suffering or government posters warning townfolk of the ravages of the flu, yellow fever, measles, and the like. THE ATLAS OF DISEASE stands out head and shoulders among other novels in this genre.

There are 4 sections to the book: airborne, waterborne, insects and animals, and human to human. Each chapter in the section then outlines a disease, from AIDS to Zika. The opening page has the disease name, the causal agent, transmission, symptoms, incidence and deaths, prevalence, prevention, treatment, and global strategy. For example, diptheria’s incidence and deaths statement lets us know that the germ causes around 5,000 cases per year worldwide, with 5-10% cases being fatal. The global strategy notes that there are childhood vaccination programs, but the World Health Organization (WHO) describes it as a “forgotten” disease. On the opposite page there is a painting by Francisco de Goya showing a man holding a child on his lap, supporting his head with his left hand while he probes the child’s mouth with his right. The work is entitled El Lazarillo de Tormes or El Garrotillo (“Diptheria”). When you turn the page you see illustrations of how the illness attacks the lining of the throat, causing the victim to strangle and suffocate.

I can honestly say I have learned more from this book than from many others I’ve read. The writer’s style is straightforward, sharing facts without drama, and extremely easy to comprehend. You won’t need a medical background to appreciate ATLAS. The author’s fascination with these illnesses is clearly portrayed on every page, as well as her depth of research. I cannot say enough superlatives about this book – it is far and away the best work I’ve read this year. If you are a devotee of disease, you will treasure this work forever. And for those of you who are not – please still read this. You will learn, you will be shocked, and you will appreciate the fragility of life. ( )

The Atlas of Disease: Mapping deadly epidemics and contagion from plague to the zika virus
By Sandra Hempel

October 2018
Nonfiction, health

I received a digital ARC copy of this book for review from NetGalley and Quarto Publishing in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is an interesting review of the history and spread of contagious disease. It is well organized and provides basic information which is easy to read. The history and location of origin is fascinating and beneficial information. There are helpful maps to help visualize the information. ( )

Hempel's Atlas of Disease looks at our history with contagion, focusing on some of the worst illnesses humanity has faced thus far. There are four sections, divided by transmission type- airborne, waterborne, insects/animals, and human to human. At once terrifying and fascinating, this book will introduce the reader to some of the deadliest diseases, from typhoid, to bubonic plague, to ebola. Maps accompany, charting pandemics and epidemics the likes of which have shaped our history. We see how diseases and treatments have varied through history, and changed over time, as more evidence comes to light. Great for those interested in epidemiology, and disease through history.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. ( )

Each year, it seems, a new and deadly disease arises or an old epidemic breaks out - recently, eg, the return of diseases that we thought were history thanks to vaccines, diseases like Measles and Chicken Pox and recurring diseases that have no simple solution like Ebola. But diseases have played a profound role in the course of history from possible small pox epidemics in ancient times to the influenza epidemic of 1918-19 that killed more people than combat during WWI to the recent Ebola outbreaks or the cholera epidemic that has, just in the last few months, killed thousands in Yemen. In The Atlas of Disease: Mapping deadly epidemics and contagion from the plague to the zika virus, author Sandra Hempel not only gives a fascinating overview of many of the worst epidemics we have faced right up to the present but provides maps showing the countries affected by them, how the disease developed and spread and the pathways they took as they spread. She explains how cartographic techniques have been used to combat disease (eg. how John Snow identified the source of the 1854 cholera epidemic in London) and how this has helped to contain the spread of deadly pathogens.

For anyone interested in how epidemics and pandemics have changed our history and how mapping their spread, albeit just one weapon in the arsenal against them, has helped in the past and continues to help in containing them, The Atlas of Disease is a fascinating read and I recommend it highly.

Thanks to Netgalley and White Lion Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review ( )

nonfiction, medical, science, spread-of-disease, maps

I already know the basics of signs/symptoms and transmission of highly contagious diseases courtesy of an eclectic nursing career, but generally have difficulty envisioning global pathways (think of it as map dyslexia). This book revisits the more notable contagious diseases throughout world history, but is exceptional in that it gives excellent visuals demonstrating WHERE the diseases traveled and if simultaneously or sequentially. Fascinating! An excellent resource for geeks and practical application as well. I will be glad to revisit this book periodically, and not just for crosswords or to win a bet with a colleague!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )