This book has been updated since the hardback edition to include Covid19 virus which is currently spreading around the world. found this book interesting to learn about different pandemics since the spanish flu of 1918 and hows humans interact with ecology and nature which can created new virus to test the human body from Sars, Hiv, Aids, Parrott fever and man continual fight against new virus. The book itself was detailed with facts and being highly topical as well.

Really interesting. A well written, well researched look at pandemics and the measures that have been used to fight them - both effectively and ineffectively. It was a scientific approach but accessible to the layperson. More people should read this, especially in light of current events.

Mark Honigsbaum's book is extremely timely. It covers in detail pandemics starting with the 'Spanish' flu outbreak in 1918 and continues through 100 years of mostly zoonotic disease outbreaks. I learned so much from this book. I had no idea that the symptoms of influenza can be so devastating. The descriptions of conditions in the military camps in the USA are gruesome, as are those of the effects of Ebola on its victims.

I felt that the chapter on AIDS was too heavy on technical description for the non-scientist reader, but in general the writing was clear..

In the current days of COVID19 it is sobering to read how difficult the science of identifying viruses still is in the 21st century, despite the 20th being an era of extraordinary medical progress. Add to this the reluctance of governments to acknowledge outbreaks and I am left with the feeling of living in a very dangerous world. The book leaves me hoping that the Next Big One does not come in my lifetime.

I was prompted to read this book as we continue the Cofid-19 pandemic lockdown.

This is a so-called new edition of a book published in April 2019. To suggest that it has a new chapter devoted to Cofid-19 is not strictly true. However, during the epilogue reference is made to 'Disease X' : As yet unknown pandemics.

This didn't detract from a fascinating journey through the major pandemics from Spanish Flu in the period at the end of World War One up to Disease X, to which we now have the misfortune to be able to give a name.

I found the historical contexts related to the existing scientific knowledge and understanding that prevailed at the time of earlier disease epidemics and pandemics, to be really informative.

Clearly human scientific knowledge and understanding has developed tremendously. Yet the shear rate of population growth, coupled with an ever-shrinking world due to globalisation and the ease of movement due to air travel, is opening up new and perhaps more frightening risks to the human species.

This is an excellent piece of historical writing, on an all too relevant topic.

I give my thanks to Netgalley and Penguin /Random House/W.H.Allen, for a copy in exchange for this review.

Written by a medical historian and journalist, this is a complex and highly detailed examination of pandemics that have affected humankind over the last century. From the devastating Spanish flu to AIDS, SARS to plague, each pandemic is looked at in its historical context. Cultural, political, economic and environmental factors are all included and while at times the science was a little over my head, I found it a fascinating book. What is beyond doubt, is that the way humans have changed the world, is a key factor in the spread and mutation of viruses and bacteria. With cheap flights, environmental damage, urban crowding and intensive factory farming, it is clear that nature is the biggest threat to mankind's survial, but a threat that has been influenced by an all too often callous disregard and disrespect for the world in which we live.

I've been looking for a readable book that gives me the information I wanted on pandemics since lockdown started in the UK back in March. Everything that I picked up was either too dry and science based or read a bit like a science fiction novel. Honigsbaum strikes the perfect balance in this informative and interesting book. He's a medical historian and journalist and manages to educate without blinding the reader by over elaborate scientific explanations.

He begins his discussion on recent global contagion back in 1917 with young men from all over America responding to the draft and being corralled together in training camps across America. The arrival of all of the people from different classes and backgrounds brought with it increased exposure to diseases like polio, meazles and pneumonia. Shockingly before the introduction of antibiotics pneumonia accounted for a quarter of all the deaths in the USA. A figure that really resonates with the situation that we now find ourselves in.

The book documents all of the big modern threats to life including Legionnaires disease and the lessons that were learnt about water cooling and air conditioning rights through to the worldwide AIDS epidemics in the 1980s and beyond, SARS and Ebola.

While the book doesn't cover the Corona virus itself you do gain a huge understanding of the conditions required for these diseases to achieve pandemic status and the global panic that is sparked at various times. It helps to put into context what the world is going through at the moment. If you are interested in the social and economic side as well as the medical it is worthwhile reading through.

Supplied by Net Galley and W H Allen in exchange for an honest review.

#ThePandemicCentury #NetGalley

An exciting insight into pandemics of the past. Sometimes I felt like the book was going over my head medical jargon etc however there is an explanation at the end to help you along. In this present climate this book is relevant. But worryingly viruses disease will always beat us no matter how scientific breakthroughs exist. Mark is a brilliant historian sharing an in sight into how pandemics were managed through the years. Well worth a read.

My thanks to Penguin Random House U.K. Ebury Publishing/WH Allen for a digital edition via NetGalley of ‘The Pandemic Century’ by Mark Honigsbaum in exchange for an honest review. It was published on 2 June 2020.

“‘nature’ remains the greatest bioterrorist threat of all.”- from scientific paper on SARS, 2004

Its subtitle, ‘A History of Global Contagion from the Spanish Flu to Covid-19’ pretty much sums up its content. Clearly the Covid-19 pandemic is ongoing though unfortunately my review edition was missing the new chapter that was added to bring the material in the book up to date.

Still, even without material on Covid-19, it’s a powerful account. I hadn’t previously known anything about Parrot Fever that occurred in 1939-30 and there was also fascinating information in it about the origins of AIDS.

I felt that Mark Honigsbaum wrote in a non-sensationalistic manner, which was refreshing given the potential of the subject to alarm. There was a lot of material in its pages and completing it I felt that I had a better understanding of how the challenges presented by these pandemics had been addressed as well as the scope of the current worldwide crises. Another takeaway: leave bats alone!

In the final pages Mark Honigsbaum writes: “Reviewing the last hundred years of epidemic outbreaks, the only thing that is certain is that there will be new plagues and new pandemics. It is not a question of if, we are told, but when.” Well that when is clearly now.

Definitely recommended reading.

An informative read about the terrible pandemics that have occurred over the last century. Some unusual ones like Parrot Fever which I have never heard of. The book has been updated to include Covid-19. It really brings home the fact that despite medical advancements and science research we are still being plagued by these pandemics.

The world has seen 10 outbreaks in the last century, the last one being Covid-19. The Pandemic century chronicles 100 years of pandemics using history, sociology, and medical elements.

The Pandemic Century is an accessible book that uses non-complex language to explain pandemics as a public health issue.

The book uses story telling to explain epidemics and pandemics, with investigative methods. This is very useful when making sense of them as a non-medical professional or even history buff. I liked that every story was independent but also linked to others in a way that gave meaning to how pandemics are understood.

Of course, Covid-19 is mentioned; however, this book is not just about that.

Each of the 9 chapters focuses on a pandemic, the factors involved in it, and how scientists found out about how it spread. Some of this were surprising, such as The Great Parrot Fever Pandemic of 1929-1930, and others were more recent and therefore less surprising but equally interesting.

The book concludes with an epilogue which summarises everything and focuses on the future, and how we need to prepare for future pandemics. Remember, when it comes to disease outbreaks it’s not if, it’s when.

Disclosure: I would like to thank Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing for an advanced copy of The Pandemic Century by Mark Honigsbaum. This is my honest review.

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The Pandemic Century by Mark Honigsbaum is an incredibly informative history of pandemic break outs worldwide over the past 100 years, with a new, additional chapter concerning COVID19. This book feels as though it has never been more prevalent as we fight through another pandemic of epic proportions. It also makes us aware of what works and what doesn't, and I feel as though more people really need to see the history of pandemics.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.