Hunting the 1918 Flu
- ISBN-10
- 1442692103
- ISBN-13
- 9781442692107
- Category
- Medical
- Pages
- 304
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2006-08-19
- Publisher
- University of Toronto Press
- Author
- Kirsty E. Duncan
Description
In 1918 the Spanish flu epidemic swept the world and killed an estimated 20 to 40 million people in just one year, more than the number that died during the four years of the First World War. To this day medical science has been at a loss to explain the Spanish flu's origin. Most virologists are convinced that sooner or later a similarly deadly flu virus will return with a vengeance; thus anything we can learn from the 1918 flu may save lives in a new epidemic. Responding to sustained interest in this medical mystery, Hunting the 1918 Flu presents a detailed account of Kirsty Duncan's experiences as she organized an international, multi-discipline scientific expedition to exhume the bodies of a group of Norwegian miners buried in Svalbard, all victims of the flu virus. Constant throughout is her determination to honour the Norwegian laws and the Svalbard customs that treat the dead and the living with respect - especially when a live virus, if unearthed, could kill millions. Another theme of the book is the author's growing love for Svalbard and its people. Duncan's narrative describes a large-scale medical project to uncover genetic material from the Spanish flu; it also reveals the turbulent politics of a group moving towards a goal where the egos were as strong as the stakes were high. The author, herself a medical geographer, is very frank about her bruising emotional, financial, and professional experiences on the 'dark side of science.' Duncan raises questions not only about public health, epidemiology, the ethics of science, and the rights of subjects, but also about the role of age, gender, and privilege in science. While her search for the virus has shown promising results, it has also revealed the dangers of science itself being subsumed in the rush for personal acclaim.
Get the book
Similar books
-
Influenza: The Hundred-Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History
By Jeremy Brown“Highlights that influenza is still a real and present threat and demonstrates the power and limitations of modern medicine.” —The Wall Street Journal “A surprisingly compelling and accessible story of one of the world’s most ...
-
The Devil's Flu: The World's Deadliest Influenza Epidemic and the Scientific Hunt for the Virus That Caused It
By Pete DaviesDescribes the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic that swept through Europe, India, and the United States, killing thousands and halting social services, and explains scientific efforts to avert a similiar tragedy.
-
Influenza: The Hundred-year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History
By Jeremy BrownInfluenza is an enlightening and unnerving look at a deadly virus that has been around longer than people and may be for many more years before we are able to conquer it for good.
-
Catching Cold: 1918's Forgotten Tragedy and the Scientific Hunt for the Virus that Caused it
By Pete DaviesThis text presents the story of the 1918 flu pandemic and discusses current scientific efforts to isolate the particular strain that was so virulent, in order to prevent the same...
-
Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It
By Gina KolataVeteran journalist Gina Kolata's Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It presents a fascinating look at true story of the world's deadliest disease.
-
The Influenza Pandemic of 1918
By Claire O'NealIn 1918, the deadliest virus in human History struck worldwide with hardly any warning. A victim of the Spanish flu could wake up healthy and fall down dead the same...
-
The Flu Pandemic of 1918
By Kristin MarciniakThis title brings the flu pandemic of 1918 to life with well-researched, clearly written informational text, primary sources with accompanying questions, charts, graphs, diagrams, timelines, and maps, multiple prompts, and more.
-
Purple Death: The Mysterious Flu of 1918
By David GetzAn illustrated overview of the onset, progress, and effects of the flu epidemic of 1918, which resulted in the deaths of more than half a million people
-
Flu Hunter: Unlocking the Secrets of a Virus
By Robert G. WebsterSome of this fascinating scientific work involved exhuming bodies of Spanish flu victims from the Arctic permafrost in a search for tissue samples containing genetic material from the virus. Could a global influenza pandemic occur again?
-
America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918
By Alfred W. CrosbyThis 2003 edition includes a preface discussing the then recent outbreaks of diseases, including the Asian flu and the SARS epidemic.