Asleep [eBook - NC Digital Library] : The Forgotten Epidemic that Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries

**Another fascinating foray into medical history from the author of __The American Plague__** In 1918, a world war was raging, and a lethal strain of influenza was circling the globe. In the midst of all this death, a bizarre disease appeared in Europe. Eventually known as encephalitis lethargica, or sleeping sickness, it would spread across the world, leaving millions dead or locked in institutions. Then, in 1927, it would disappear as suddenly as it had arrived-or so the doctors at first thought. __Asleep__, set in 1920s and '30s New York, follows a group of neurologists through hospitals and insane asylums as they try to solve this worldwide epidemic. The symptoms could include not only unending sleep but dangerous insomnia, facial tics, catatonia, Parkinson's, and even violent insanity. Molly Caldwell Crosby, acclaimed author of __The American Plague__, explores the frightening history of this forgotten disease- and details the frantic effort to conquer it before it strikes again. From BooklistOn the heels of World War I, another atrocity emerged to take millions more lives: flu. Overshadowed by that worldwide viral menace was an equallyindeed, Crosby believes, an even morefrightening killer, encephalitis lethargica (EL). If the name rings no bell, perhaps that isnt surprising, since the malady claimed only a million lives, though it left at least that many more permanently disabled, before dropping off epidemiologists maps around 1927. The illness popular moniker, sleeping sickness, is more familiar, to the point of seeming innocuous. But the disease was and is anything but. No one has ever been able to articulate its etiology. Just because it flared up during a flu pandemic doesnt mean it is linked to flu by either causation or correlation. Yet the concurrence cannot be discounted. Whats more, the disease is unpredictable, having re-emerged a couple times since the 1920s. Crosby and others fear EL may return simultaneously with another worldwide outbreak of flu. Medical science is, they insist, no better prepared for it than it was 90 years ago. --Donna Chavez Review

a Fascinating Look At A Bizarre, Forgotten Epidemic From The National Bestselling Author Of the American Plague.

in 1918, A World War Raged, And A Lethal Strain Of Influenza Circled The Globe. In The Midst Of All This Death, A Bizarre Disease Appeared In Europe. Eventually Known As Encephalitis Lethargica, Or Sleeping Sickness, It Spread Worldwide, Leaving Millions Dead Or Locked In Institutions. Then, In 1927, It Disappeared As Suddenly As It Arrived.

asleep, Set In 1920s And '30s New York, Follows A Group Of Neurologists Through Hospitals And Asylums As They Try To Solve This Epidemic And Treat Its Victims-who Learned The Worst Fate Was Not Dying Of It, But Surviving It.

publishers Weekly

here’s Medical Curiosity Combining History, Mystery, And Riveting Storytelling. Crosby (the American Plague) Relates The Vexing Appearance During Wwi Of Encephalitis Lethargica—sleeping Sickness—through The Stories Of Patients, Doctors, And Public Health Servants Swept Up In An Epidemic That Affected As Many As Five Million People Worldwide In A Little Over A Decade. Despite A High Mortality Rate, Writes Crosby, Surviving The Epidemic Was Worse Than Dying From It. Survivors Were Left Insane And Locked In A Statue-like Immobility. As Interesting To Crosby As The Mystery Of Sleeping Sickness’s Sudden Appearance And Spread, Possibly In Tandem With The Spanish Flu, Is The Aftermath, Which Taxed The Burgeoning Fields Of Neurology And Mental Health. The Mystery Of The Epidemic Isn’t Yet Solved, Leaving Concerns About A Future Recurrence. The Remarkable Human Connection Crosby Brings To This Scientific Oddity Helps Enlighten Readers About A Pandemic Forgotten In The Shadow Of The Contemporaneous Spanish Flu And Till Now Memorialized Only In Oliver Sacks’s Awakening. (mar.)

An epidemic begins Constantin von Economo The London outbreak The New York outbreak Ruth The neurologist The medical investigators Adam Smith Ely Jelliffe The alienist Only the beginning Jessie 1925 A two-headed beast Madness Rosie The Neurological Institute The Matheson Commission Josephine B. Neal Vaccine trials Sylvia I have seen the future Philip Gray matter Past or prologue? An epidemic begins Constantin von Economo The London outbreak New York City Ruth The neurologist The medical investigators Adam Smith Ely Jelliffe The alienist Only the beginning Jessie 1925 A two-headed beast Madness Rosie The Neurological Institute The Matheson Commission Josephine B. Neal Vaccine trials Sylvia I have seen the future Philip Gray matter Past or prologue? Crosby, acclaimed author of "The American Plague," explores the frightening history of a long forgotten disease--sleeping sickness--and details the frantic effort to conquer it before it strikes again.