This was an interesting and informative read. There was a ton of new to me information, and it was written in a way that I found accessable.

An interesting and well-researched book about the history of diseases and how the NHS came to be. I think it is a reflection on a society when you look at how they treat their poor and ill, in whatever form it takes. As an Australian, I am also very, very grateful that we have Universal Health Care as well. And when I lived in Scotland, I had cause to use the very efficient NHS system myself. I was impressed.

When you think of how many epidemics, pandemics and diseases (pre-vaccine) etc have swept through communities over the centuries, it is a wonder that there are any people left at all!

I hope that the NHS continues on, for Britain. And I also hope that there will be more funding for it, more nurses too. I know that everyone is tightening their belts, but it is so imperative that people are able to access healthcare when they need it.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword.

Fascinating and insightful…. As the world is gripped by the coronavirus pandemic, all eyes in the UK have been on our NHS heroes. But where did they come from? Why do we have such a unique free at the point of use healthcare system? How has this benefitted British society? And how does healthcare in other countries work?

Going back to pre-history, we will take a look at epidemics and pandemics through the ages and how they have consistently nudged healthcare policy toward a more social model. They say a measure of civilised society is how it provides for its citizens, and the NHS has been the backbone of Great Britain for the best part of a century. As well as looking at its origins and counterparts in other countries, we will take a look at how the Covid-19 pandemic has been handled, and what the future of social healthcare might be across the globe.

This was a very interesting read, it went through the history of pandemics and also included the recent COVID-19 pandemic. A brilliant read which I thoroughly enjoyed and found fascinating from the start. I wouldn’t say it is about the Black Death totally but I enjoyed it nonetheless

Enjoyed learning more about the Black Death and how it gave rise to NHS Britain's national health system.