Epidemic Disease and Human Understanding

<p> For more than three thousand years of recorded history human beings have struggled to understand the epidemic--the rapid spread of a contagious disease throughout a human population. This book draws on an extensive list of primary texts to present a comprehensive history of epidemiological thought.</p><p> The book is primarily concerned with the human experience of epidemic disease and the various ways this experience has been conceptualized and communicated. Part I examines ancient religious mythological and philosophical paradigms used to comprehend and interpret epidemic disease. Following the ancient period perceptions changed; epidemics were understood as natural phenomena rather than as instruments of divine purpose. This transition is covered in Part II and illuminated by historical documents such as Thucydides' description of the plague of Athens. Systematic examination of biomedical phenomena which began in the seventeenth century and developed into modern medicine is the focus of Part III.</p><p> Finally Part IV considers the ways in which epidemic disease has been treated in various works of literature. The discussion includes eyewitness accounts as well as such popular works of fiction as Sinclair Lewis' <I>Arrowsmith</I> and Albert Camus' <I>The Plague</I>. In surveying human responses to endemic disease the book draws connections between three sub-genres of epidemiological writing: the encyclopedia the intellectual history and the biographical collection.</p>