Angel of Death

The Story of Smallpox
2. 2. 2026 Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-349-96158-0
Verlag: Palgrave MacMillan UK

Buch, Englisch, 500 Seiten, Format (B × H): 148 mm x 210 mm

This revised edition of provides a compelling and timely account of humanity’s battle against one of its greatest killers. It traces the dramatic rise and fall of smallpox, including the creation of the world’s first vaccine by Edward Jenner, which ultimately led to the disease’s eradication in 1980—a turning point in the history of smallpox, and arguably the greatest achievement of preventative medicine. The saga of smallpox still resonates today, with its legacies including the anti-vaccination movement, and more recently, the nightmarish possibility that a virus resembling smallpox could return, either through natural evolution—as in the case of monkey-pox—or built from scratch in a bioterrorist’s laboratory. Given its greater infectivity and mortality, such a virus could lead to a much more devastating pandemic than COVID–19. Engagingly written with colourful characters and a riveting storyline, this rigorously researched second edition should appeal to anyone fascinated by the history of medicine, science or global health.

The first edition (2010) of was shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize 2010 and the Medical Journalists’ Association Award 2011.

Zielgruppe

Popular/general

Autoren/Hrsg.

Williams, Gareth

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Mentalitäts- und Sozialgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Medizin | Veterinärmedizin Medizin | Public Health | Pharmazie | Zahnmedizin Medizin, Gesundheitswesen Geschichte der Medizin
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtswissenschaft Allgemein
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, Formalen Wissenschaften & Technik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Take Two: Preface to the Second Edition.- Chapter 1. Know the Enemy.- Chapter 2. Danger: Angel at Work.- Chapter 3. Horror Stories.- Chapter 4. First Steps in the Right Direction.- Chapter 5. The Ambassador's Ingenious Lady.- Chapter 6. a.- Chapter 7. From Passion to Fashion.- Chapter 8. The Greatest Improvement?.- Chapter 9. Everyday Tales of Country Folk.- Chapter 10. The Disinterested Divulger of a Salutary Blessing.- Chapter 11. Crusaders and Infidels.- Chapter 12. An Affront to the Rights of Man.- Chapter 13. More Fatal than Smallpox.- Chapter 14. The Most Beautiful Discovery or a Disastrous Illusion?.- Chapter 15. Lest we Forget.- Chapter 16. Death Throes of a Clinical Curiosity.- Chapter 17. Legacy.- Chapter18. Postscript.

Über Autor(innen)

Gareth Williams is Emeritus Professor and former Dean of Medicine at the University of Bristol, in the UK. Internationally renowned for his research into diabetes and obesity, he has published over 200 scientific papers, co-edited the prizewinning (1992, 1999) and contributed to the . His other books for general readers are (2013); (2016); (2019); and (2025).