The Burdens of Disease : Epidemics and Human Response in Western History

In this sweeping approach to the history of disease, the author, a historian chronicles perceptions and responses to plague and pestilence over two thousand years of Western history. He frames disease as a multidimensional construct, situated at the intersection of history, politics, culture, and medicine, and rooted in mentalities and social relations as much as in biological conditions of pathology. He shows how diseases affect social and political change, reveal social tensions, and are mediated both within and outside the realm of scientific medicine. "Required reading for any university-level course on the social history of medicine, and, indeed, of medicine generally. . . . A masterly and reliable synthesis." -American Historical Review

"A well-researched book that is nicely written. The author's ability to sketch out the etiology and epidemiology of the various diseases dealt with is commendable as is his judicious presentation and weighing of conflicting explanations of their often mysterious careers historically." -Journal of Social History

"In The Burdens of Disease J. N. Hays has synthesized a very large literature dealing with the history of medicine and disease. The result is an original and impressive book that deserves a wide readership. It provides a fascinating perspective on contemporary health issues." -Gerald Grob, Institute for Health Policy, Rutgers University

A review of the original edition of The Burdens of Disease that appeared in Isis stated, "Hays has written a remarkable book. He too has a message: That epidemics are primarily dependent on poverty and that the West has consistently refused to accept this." This revised edition confirms the book's timely value and provides a sweeping approach to the history of disease.
In this updated volume, with revisions and additions, including the evolution of drug-resistant diseases and expanded coverage of HIV/AIDS, along with recent data on mortality figures and other relevant statistics, J. N. Hays chronicles perceptions and responses to plague and pestilence over two thousand years of western history. Disease is framed as a multidimensional construct, situated at the intersection of history, politics, culture, and medicine, and rooted in mentalities and social relations as much as in biological conditions of pathology. This revised edition also studies the victims of epidemics, paying close attention to the relationships among poverty, power, and disease.

J. N. Hays is a professor emeritus of history at Loyola University of Chicago.

A review of the original edition of The Burdens of Disease that appeared in ISIS stated,'Hays has written a remarkable book. He too has a message: That epidemics are primarily dependent on poverty and that the West has consistently refused to accept this.'This revised edition confirms the book's timely value and provides a sweeping approach to the history of disease. In this updated volume, with revisions and additions to the original content, including the evolution of drug-resistant diseases and expanded coverage of HIV/AIDS, along with recent data on mortality figures and other relevant statistics, J. N. Hays chronicles perceptions and responses to plague and pestilence over two thousand years of western history. Disease is framed as a multidimensional construct, situated at the intersection of history, politics, culture, and medicine, and rooted in mentalities and social relations as much as in biological conditions of pathology. This revised edition of The Burdens of Disease also studies the victims of epidemics, paying close attention to the relationships among poverty, power, and disease. Contents Tables Acknowledgments Introduction One: The Western Inheritance: Greek and Roman Ideas about Disease Two: Medieval Diseases and Responses Three: The Great Plague Pandemic Four: New Diseases and Transatlantic Exchanges Five: Continuity and Change: Magic, Religion, Medicine, and Science, 500–1700 Six: Disease and the Enlightenment Seven: Cholera and Sanitation Eight: Tuberculosis and Poverty Nine: Disease, Medicine, and Western Imperialism Ten: The Scientific View of Disease and the Triumph of Professional Medicine Eleven: The Apparent End of Epidemics Twelve: Disease and Power Notes Suggestions for Further Reading Index In this sweeping approach to the history of disease, historian J. N. Hays chronicles perceptions and responses to plague and pestilence over two thousand years of Western history. Hays frames disease as a multidimensional construct, situated at the intersection of history, politics, culture, and medicine, and rooted in mentalities and social relations as much as in biological conditions of pathology. He shows how diseases affect social and political change, reveal social tensions, and are mediated both within and outside the realm of scientific medicine.