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agnieszka_na_grzbietowisku's review against another edition
4.0
Bardzo ciekawa pozycja dla osób zainteresowanych medycyną, a zwłaszcza tą jedną chorobą zakaźną - grypą. Od setek tysięcy lat wirus grypy jest naszym nieodłącznym utrapieniem, pojawiającym się i znikającym. Uderzającym to silniej, to znów prawie niezauważalnie.
Książka została napisana jako próba odświeżenia nam w pamięci, niejako upamiętnienia pandemii grypy z 1918 roku, zwanej potocznie "hiszpanką" (chociaż jak się okazuje, niekoniecznie z tamtego kraju się wywodzącą). Autor serwuje nam sporo ciekawostek na temat historii tej choroby oraz walki z nią. Pojawiają się także przypuszczenia związane z kolejną wielką pandemią. Niektóre fragmenty książki idealnie obrazują to, co dzieje się w tej chwili na świecie.
Zdecydowanie warta polecenia i ciekawa książka. Mam nadzieję, że autor pokusi się o napisanie podsumowania naszych "starć" z koronawirusem :)
Książka została napisana jako próba odświeżenia nam w pamięci, niejako upamiętnienia pandemii grypy z 1918 roku, zwanej potocznie "hiszpanką" (chociaż jak się okazuje, niekoniecznie z tamtego kraju się wywodzącą). Autor serwuje nam sporo ciekawostek na temat historii tej choroby oraz walki z nią. Pojawiają się także przypuszczenia związane z kolejną wielką pandemią. Niektóre fragmenty książki idealnie obrazują to, co dzieje się w tej chwili na świecie.
Zdecydowanie warta polecenia i ciekawa książka. Mam nadzieję, że autor pokusi się o napisanie podsumowania naszych "starć" z koronawirusem :)
brandi91's review against another edition
5.0
I won this book in a giveaway. This book helps the reader to understand not only where influenza was first reported I suppose but how it was treated back in 1914. Even though to me it’s a short read it took me awhile to finish given the current pandemic however it is packed with interesting information.
slferg's review against another edition
5.0
Great book on the pandemic of 1918 and the search for the cure for the flu. Lots of really good info and some not so good stuff on WHO. This book was published in 2018, the centennial of the pandemic. It covers research current to the time of publication and some really interesting info on the research. I wondered about reading this with the current pandemic going on, but it was great.
arredondo_'s review against another edition
3.0
I was waiting a troughly review and a lot of perspectives on the pandemic. How we can endure this times. I was hoping to see more history. More details of the people fighting spirit against the difficult times
Anyways it was my bad for set those expectations
Anyways it was my bad for set those expectations
samstillreading's review against another edition
4.0
Like nearly everyone else on the planet, I’m searching for answers, tips and well…anything with regard to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Influenza is not the same thing, but it is probably the closest we’ve got when it comes to pandemics. Given the timing of my reading, this wasn’t always the most comfortable of reads but it was very informative. The book dispelled myths regarding the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and suggested reasons as to its spread and complications.
Influenza is somewhat of a medical memoir of a disease. It starts with a sobering prologue of a healthy young woman who became critically ill, then traces the roots of treatments of influenza in the history of medicine. (While whisky sounds like a palatable treatment, blood letting can be left back in history). It then goes into detail of the 1918 pandemic, which was a really good account of what we know and what we still don’t know. (Plus, some ethical dilemmas about digging up bodies in the name of science and studying the virus in the lab). Dr Brown gives an honest review of the available data, clearly demonstrating where there is fact and where we are still speculating on why things happened as they did. It also discusses the measures taken to try to contain the virus, such as social distancing, shutting down big events like parades and self-isolation/quarantine. With hindsight, scientists have been able to work out what measures worked and what didn’t. (Don’t ask Philadelphia about the big parade they had and the subsequent explosion of residents with the flu).
The book also goes into detail about how data can be used to try to track the flu, predict where and when it will peak and what combinations of the virus should be in the annual influenza vaccine. It’s not an exact science, in fact, far from it. Predictions are still sketchy at best but there is a lot of work going on. There is also a section on the vaccine, and neuraminidase inhibitors (the most famous of which is oseltamivir, or Tamiflu®). This is very interesting, taking into account stockpiles, big business and the presence/absence of data. Dr Brown again presents this in a balanced fashion. His style of writing is very accessible and easy for the lay person to read, while keeping enough of the science in the writing to attract those in the health professions. The book also has an extensive notes section and bibliography for further reading.
I found this book oddly reassuring in these uncertain times. There are good reasons as to why the 1918 pandemic may not be as deadly if it happened today and we have learned things along the way with subsequent pandemics. The WHO has got your back, as do thousands of scientists working in the background.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Influenza is somewhat of a medical memoir of a disease. It starts with a sobering prologue of a healthy young woman who became critically ill, then traces the roots of treatments of influenza in the history of medicine. (While whisky sounds like a palatable treatment, blood letting can be left back in history). It then goes into detail of the 1918 pandemic, which was a really good account of what we know and what we still don’t know. (Plus, some ethical dilemmas about digging up bodies in the name of science and studying the virus in the lab). Dr Brown gives an honest review of the available data, clearly demonstrating where there is fact and where we are still speculating on why things happened as they did. It also discusses the measures taken to try to contain the virus, such as social distancing, shutting down big events like parades and self-isolation/quarantine. With hindsight, scientists have been able to work out what measures worked and what didn’t. (Don’t ask Philadelphia about the big parade they had and the subsequent explosion of residents with the flu).
The book also goes into detail about how data can be used to try to track the flu, predict where and when it will peak and what combinations of the virus should be in the annual influenza vaccine. It’s not an exact science, in fact, far from it. Predictions are still sketchy at best but there is a lot of work going on. There is also a section on the vaccine, and neuraminidase inhibitors (the most famous of which is oseltamivir, or Tamiflu®). This is very interesting, taking into account stockpiles, big business and the presence/absence of data. Dr Brown again presents this in a balanced fashion. His style of writing is very accessible and easy for the lay person to read, while keeping enough of the science in the writing to attract those in the health professions. The book also has an extensive notes section and bibliography for further reading.
I found this book oddly reassuring in these uncertain times. There are good reasons as to why the 1918 pandemic may not be as deadly if it happened today and we have learned things along the way with subsequent pandemics. The WHO has got your back, as do thousands of scientists working in the background.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
goldiebooks's review against another edition
5.0
Simply put, this book is fantastic. When I did manage to pry myself away from it, I could not stop thinking about the flu!
Dr. Jeremy Brown is not only knowledgeable in his field, but performs outstanding research and is a talented writer. Trained at the University College School of Medicine in London and a doctor of emergency medicine, Dr. Brown has seen his fair share of the flu. He weaves modern medical science (in layman's language for the everyday reader) with the history of influenza, the politics of research, and the possibilities of a pandemic in the future. His notes and bibliography are a well executed addendum to his great narrative.
The 1918 influenza pandemic killed between 50 and 100 million people across the world and the flu kills more than 30,000 people in the U.S. each year even today. Those numbers are nothing to sneeze at. Something that seems so innocuous to most of us is a real threat to our lives if a single gene mutates or crosses with different strains.
The flu has been around for centuries and yet, we still know next to nothing about how to effectively combat it, let alone how to cure it. Society continues to struggle with the virus itself, the bacterial pneumonia that often follows, and the body's immune response to the sickness. Dr. Brown does a magnificent job of explaining the history while simultaneously laying out the political implications of this kind of sickness in the present and future. His analogies are spot on and help the reader understand the scope of influenza and its effects. While some of his wording can be confusing, such as when discussing statistics and not delineating exactly which demographic group each number applies to, his prose is engaging.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history, medicine, contagious disease, health politics, or just looking for a great read. As someone who was afflicted with the 2009 swine flu, after reading Dr. Brown's book I will get a flu shot every year, make sure I'm getting my vitamin D, and probably never use Tamiflu again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Touchstone for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Dr. Jeremy Brown is not only knowledgeable in his field, but performs outstanding research and is a talented writer. Trained at the University College School of Medicine in London and a doctor of emergency medicine, Dr. Brown has seen his fair share of the flu. He weaves modern medical science (in layman's language for the everyday reader) with the history of influenza, the politics of research, and the possibilities of a pandemic in the future. His notes and bibliography are a well executed addendum to his great narrative.
The 1918 influenza pandemic killed between 50 and 100 million people across the world and the flu kills more than 30,000 people in the U.S. each year even today. Those numbers are nothing to sneeze at. Something that seems so innocuous to most of us is a real threat to our lives if a single gene mutates or crosses with different strains.
The flu has been around for centuries and yet, we still know next to nothing about how to effectively combat it, let alone how to cure it. Society continues to struggle with the virus itself, the bacterial pneumonia that often follows, and the body's immune response to the sickness. Dr. Brown does a magnificent job of explaining the history while simultaneously laying out the political implications of this kind of sickness in the present and future. His analogies are spot on and help the reader understand the scope of influenza and its effects. While some of his wording can be confusing, such as when discussing statistics and not delineating exactly which demographic group each number applies to, his prose is engaging.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history, medicine, contagious disease, health politics, or just looking for a great read. As someone who was afflicted with the 2009 swine flu, after reading Dr. Brown's book I will get a flu shot every year, make sure I'm getting my vitamin D, and probably never use Tamiflu again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Touchstone for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
melanie_page's review against another edition
5.0
Be aware that 50%of this work is the book and the other half is notes, bib, and index. It's not as long as you might think. A great run down of the flu and looking back mainly to 1918. Super weird to read during a pandemic because this author doesn't know what is coming. Lots of great facts that are interesting, so I kept reading bits aloud to my husband.
faegirl's review against another edition
4.0
100 years ago, the flu attacked the world and killed millions of people. We have no idea how many due to the fact that many island nation populations were destroyed and many deaths were attributed to pneumonia instead of the flu. This book provides an in depth look at what happened in 1918.
Unlike a lot of other books about the flu pandemic, this author is a doctor which allows him the ability to talk knowledgeably about the disease and how it traveled around the world and the missteps in how people were attempting to treat the victims.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.
Unlike a lot of other books about the flu pandemic, this author is a doctor which allows him the ability to talk knowledgeably about the disease and how it traveled around the world and the missteps in how people were attempting to treat the victims.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.