Synopses & Reviews
Shortlisted for the British Sociological Association's Sociology of Health and Illness Book Prize in 2011By the 1970s, medicine appeared to have conquered infectious diseases. A century before, newly discovered germ theory had laid the foundations for advances in vaccines and antibiotics, but deaths and illness from infectious diseases had been declining in the developed world even before this 'golden age' of medicine. Infectious diseases were perceived as archaic, and future health threats seemed to come from so-called diseases of civilization, such as heart disease and cancer.
The appearance of AIDS in the early 1980s radically reversed that trend, and since then over thirty new infectious diseases have been classified, including mad cow disease and antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria, such as MRSA. Furthermore, old threats, such as tuberculosis, have re-emerged as they have become immune to established treatments.
This fascinating study, now in paperback with a new preface, charts the rise of new infectious diseases and examines the cultural context and anxieties that surround their emergence, revealing the underlying social and political concerns that determine our response to disease in the twenty-first century.
Review
Shortlisted for the BSA Sociology of Health and Illness Book Prize 2011
'A meticulous dissection of the threats from infectious disease, and our responses to them. The book offers an unusually clear account of how perception of biological reality is shaped by society and culture. Essential reading for plotting the territory between panic and pandemic.' - Jon Turney, Author of The Rough Guide to the Future
'Emerging Infectious Diseases and Society is an engrossing account of the historical underpinnings of the idea of emerging disease, and a trenchant dissection of the ways in which it is put to social and political use today. Washer writes in clear, even-handed language that makes the book rewarding reading for the public and professionals alike. He masterfully translates complicated scientific debates to reveal the deeply embedded fears, myths and misconceptions that characterize contemporary thinking about infectious disease. Along the way he deftly unmasks what they tell us about contemporary global social and political relationships.' Professor D. Ann Herring, McMaster University, Canada
'This informative, crystal clear book charts the rise of the Emerging Infectious Diseases discipline in the context of political, social and cultural forces. It contains a particularly wonderful and original chapter on the role played by the dirt, germs and the immune system in conceptualisations of Emerging Infectious Diseases.' - Dr Helene Joffe, Division of Psychology, UCL, UK
'The incidence of infectious diseases has increased in the past two decades with a threat of further increase in the future...The present volume is a social chronicle of the cultural, political and historical context in which this new public health threat emerged. This is an erudite, informative, and insightful small book on how it all happened.' - Choice Magazine
'In Emerging Infectious Diseases and Society, Peter Washer tells a very simple yet effective story of how emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases have plagued society throughout the ages...The simple use of language combined with the logical flow of information in this book makes it an interesting read for specialists and the public alike.' - The Lancet
'This book should be read by anybody with an interest in emerging infectious diseases, but also by those interested in how science and society are interwoven in the modern world. It should be required reading for people carrying out research in various fields related to the sociology of health and illness.' - Sociology of Health & Illness
Review
"The incidence of infectious diseases has increased in the past two decades with a threat of further increase in the future […] This volume is a social chronicle of the cultural, political and historical context in which this new public health threat emerged. This is an erudite, informative, and insightful book on how it all happened." -
Choice Magazine"In Emerging Infectious Diseases and Society, Peter Washer tells a very simple yet effective story of how emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases have plagued society throughout the ages […] The simple use of language combined with the logical flow of information in this book makes it an interesting read for specialists and the public alike." - The Lancet
"This book should be read by anybody with an interest in emerging infectious diseases, but also by those interested in how science and society are interwoven in the modern world. It should be required reading for people carrying out research in various fields related to the sociology of health and illness." - Sociology of Health and Illness
Synopsis
In the 1970s it seemed infectious diseases had been conquered, but today global epidemics seem to pose a new, more sinister, threat. This fascinating study explores these new infectious diseases, such as Swine Flu, SARS and AIDS, and the re-emergence of old threats, and discusses their role in society.
Synopsis
In the 1970s it seemed infectious diseases had been conquered, but todayglobalepidemicsseem to pose a new, more sinister, threat. Thisfascinating studyexploresthese new infectious diseases, such asSwine Flu, SARS and AIDS, and the re-emergence of old threats, and discusses their role in society."
Synopsis
Factors in the Emergence of Infectious Diseases The Conquest of Infectious Disease AIDS and the End of the Golden Age of Medicine Modernity, Globalization and Emerging Infectious Diseases Mad Cows, Modern Plagues and Superbugs Dirt, Germs and the Immune System The Bioterrorism Myth Emerging Infectious Diseases, Security and Global Poverty References
Synopsis
In the 1970s it seemed infectious diseases had been conquered, but today global epidemics seem to pose a new, more sinister, threat. This fascinating study explores these new infectious diseases, such as Swine Flu, SARS and AIDS, and the re-emergence of old threats, and discusses their role in society.
About the Author
PETER WASHER has taught at University College, London and Imperial College, London, UK. His research interests are in representations of infectious diseases. He is editor of Clinical Communication Skills (Oxford University Press).
Table of Contents
Author Preface to the Paperback Edition
1. Factors in the Emergence of Infectious Diseases
2. The Conquest of Infectious Disease
3. AIDS and the End of the Golden Age of Medicine
4. Modernity, Globalization and Emerging Infectious Diseases
5. Mad Cows, Modern Plagues and Superbugs
6. Dirt, Germs and the Immune System
7. The bioterrorism myth
8. Emerging Infectious Diseases, Security and Global Poverty