Summary:
Patient Zero is a history of the field of
epidemiology, or the study of diseases in a population. It takes the reader
through seven different epidemics in history and details the disease, the
scientists tracking and attempting to cure the disease, and gives the reader an
introduction to a possible patient zero—the first person to get the disease. The
seven epidemics include, the plague, cholera, yellow fever, typhoid, Spanish
influenza, ebola, and AIDS.
Review:
First, let me start off by saying that the information in
this book is very interesting. Peters does an impressive job introducing us to
each of these epidemics and giving the reader facts about causes and potential
causes for the epidemics. She highlights the scientist who begin tracking
diseases in new ways and how their contributions helped expand the field of epidemiology.
I found each of the histories interesting, and she humanizes the book by giving
the reader examples of who patient zero might have been.
While the topic and the information was very interesting, I found
the format of the book terribly distracting. You would be reading about the
disease, and then in the middle of a sentence when you turn the page, you find
yourself at an information side bar. The side bar is related, and yes
interesting, but when you finish reading it you have to go back and re-read
what you had been reading so you can continue when you left off. I found the
placements of these to be poorly designed.
My other criticism of the book is that all of the
illustrations are very cartoony. Since this is a book about science, it would
have been nice if they had included actual pictures. For example, pictures of
the scientists if available, pictures of the viruses under a microscope, etc.
It would have made the book more credible and more useful in a classroom.
Overall:
Despite its flaws I found this book fascinating. I felt it
engaged the reader and gave them a lot of good information about the field of epidemiology.
I highly recommend this book to students who like science and are interested in
medicine, or who just like history. The book had plenty of facts and they are
presented in a way that isn’t dry or boring.
Cautions for Sensitive Readers:
Violence: None
Sex: None though this book does cover the AIDS epidemic.
Drugs: None though this book does cover the AIDS epidemic.
Language: None
Click here to place a hold on this book.
