The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History
John M.
The coronavirus pandemic has shown that, despite the development of medicine, we are defenseless against the new virus. This is not the first time the world has faced such challenges. Just over 100 years ago, more people died from the Spanish flu than during the First World War. In the historian John Barry's book, the reader will find much that is familiar. The lies and cowardice of politicians and officials, the heroism and desperate enthusiasm of scientists and doctors, the fear and panic of ordinary people - all these are signs of the present time. You will see how the world then was not ready to wage two wars at the same time - with each other and with a deadly virus that killed, like enemy bullets, first of all the youngest and strongest. But this book is also a hymn to science, a hymn to medicine: it is not only a vivid and exciting description of the fight against the pandemic, but also a gallery of portraits of people of science, doctors, politicians. In the future, humanity will have to face unknown diseases more than once, so it is necessary to learn the lessons of the past well so as not to repeat the same mistakes.
