Great American Diseases

Great American Diseases: Their Effects on the Course of North American History, Second Edition covers significant disease epidemics that have shaped North American history, from the arrival of Smallpox with the first Europeans to the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes an introduction to the basic science of diseases, the history of vaccination in the Americas, and discussions on various diseases and their pathogens. The text concludes with a chapter on notable animal disease outbreaks. Delving deeper, the book provides engaging chapters on the societal impacts of epidemics and the evolution of medical responses.

It presents a fascinating intersection of microbiology, immunology, and epidemiology enriched with contemporary outbreak examples and educational resources for biomedical students.

"The book aims to introduce microbiology through an historical lens of important and “interesting” infectious diseases that have affected Americans throughout time. This is a very important objective, especially given the contemporary undermining of the threat of these diseases.... The book is partly adapted from the curriculum of an introductory college course on microbiology; hence, the book primarily targets students.... The writing is quite clear for the intended primary audience, and there is a very helpful glossary for the technical terms used in the book.... For data enthusiasts, the book has very helpful graphs and map visualizations for the selected infectious disease metrics.... This book is of substantial relevance to the intended audience. It edges out other comparable books in the field due to its extensive coverage of historical periods, in addition to the most recent pandemic, COVID-19.... This book is highly recommended, especially for clinical medicine and public health students, as well as health policymakers and their staffers." Review by Patrick Zamba, MS (University of Iowa College of Public Health, ©Doody's Review Service 2025. Doody's Score: 92, 4 Stars!