Disease and the Modern World (PDF)

'Mark Harrison's book illuminates the threats posed by
infectious diseases since 1500. He places these diseases within an
international perspective, and demonstrates the relationship
between European expansion and changing epidemiological patterns.
The book is a significant introduction to a fascinating
subject.' Gerald N. Grob, Rutgers State University

In this lively and accessible book, Mark Harrison charts the
history of disease from the birth of the modern world around 1500
through to the present day. He explores how the rise of modern
nation-states was closely linked to the threat posed by disease,
and particularly infectious, epidemic diseases. He examines the
ways in which disease and its treatment and prevention, changed
over the centuries, under the impact of the Renaissance and the
Enlightenment, and with the advent of scientific medicine.

For the first time, the author integrates the history of disease
in the West with a broader analysis of the rise of the modern
world, as it was transformed by commerce, slavery, and colonial
rule. Disease played a vital role in this process, easing European
domination in some areas, limiting it in others. Harrison goes on
to show how a new environment was produced in which poverty and
education rather than geography became the main factors in the
distribution of disease.

Assuming no prior knowledge of the history of disease,
Disease and the Modern World provides an invaluable
introduction to one of the richest and most important areas of
history. It will be essential reading for all undergraduates and
postgraduates taking courses in the history of disease and
medicine, and for anyone interested in how disease has shaped, and
has been shaped by, the modern world.