Plagues upon the earth : disease and the course of human history
Harper, Kyle, 1979-2021
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How deadly germs and pandemics have shaped history — and why they are products of our success as a species. Plagues upon the Earth is a monumental history of humans and their germs. Weaving together a grand narrative of global history with insights from cutting-edge genetics, Kyle Harper explains why humanity’s uniquely dangerous disease pool is rooted deep in our evolutionary past, and why its growth is accelerated by technological progress. He shows that the story of disease is entangled with the history of slavery, colonialism, and capitalism, and reveals the enduring effects of historical plagues in patterns of wealth, health, power, and inequality. He also tells the story of humanity’s escape from infectious disease — a triumph that makes life as we know it possible, yet destabilises the environment and fosters new diseases. Panoramic in scope, Plagues upon the Earth traces the role of disease in the transition to farming, the spread of cities, the advance of transportation, and the stupendous increase in human population. Harper offers a new interpretation of humanity’s path to control over infectious disease—one where rising evolutionary threats constantly push back against human progress, and where the devastating effects of modernisation contribute to the great divergence between societies. The book reminds us that human health is globally interdependent — and inseparable from the well-being of the planet itself. Putting the COVID-19 pandemic in perspective, Plagues upon the Earth tells the story of how we got here as a species, and it may help us decide where we want to go.
Main title:
Plagues upon the earth : disease and the course of human history / by Kyle Harper.
Author:
Imprint:
Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2021.©2021.
Collation:
x, 686 pages : illustrations, maps, charts ; 25 cm.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
Introduction: Microorganisms and Macrohistory -- Part I. Fire -- 1. Mammals in a Microbe's World -- 2. Prometheus among the Primates -- 3. Where the Bloodsuckers Aren't -- Part II. Farms -- 4. Dung and Death -- 5. The Sneezing Ape -- 6. The Ends of the Old World -- Part III. Frontiers -- 7. Conquests and Contagions -- 8. The Unification of the Tropics -- 9. Of Lice and Men -- Part IV. Fossils -- 10. The Wealth and Health of Nations -- 11. Disease and Global Divergence -- 12. The Disinfected Planet -- Acknowledgments. Appendix: Checklist of Major Identified Species of Human Pathogens -- Notes -- References -- Index.
ISBN:
9780691192123
Dewey class:
614.49
Language:
English
BRN:
402980
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