Killer epidemics

Patient Zero: Solving the Mysteries of Deadly Epidemics
by Marilee Peters


Part mystery, part horror, these are stories of seven epidemics that decimated populations at various moments throughout history. The book focuses on the early epidemiologists who desperately searched for Patient Zero, the first person to contract and spread each disease. The diseases covered are: bubonic plague in London in 1665, cholera in Soho (London) in 1854, yellow fever in Cuba in 1900, typhoid in New York in 1906, the Spanish Influenza pandemic (1918-19), Ebola in Zaire in 1976, and AIDS in the United States in 1980.

Gruesome details will draw readers in, as will the medical sleuthing, which is clearly and simply explained. 

An often gripping book that should interest those who like detective fiction.