Plagues and Peoples (Peregrine Books) [Paperback]

 

 

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Every high school history student knows that the Black Death swept through Europe, and that diseases like smallbox, measles and so on were decisive in allowing the colonization of the Americas. But these two statements while universally accepted, are generally left at that and the causes go unexplored.

This book is a very concise history of plagues and what built up to these two grim realities. McNeill goes much beyond these basics and provides in intricate details the events that allowed that to happen. What allowed these disease pools to eventually come into being? This book provides the details to the answer to that question from the early days of civilization in Mesopotamia to the effect that plague had on the periphery of the Roman and Chinese empires to the effect that the Mongols had in fully unifying this disease pool, and once a reality, the devasating effect that they had on the world.

In short, if you want to understand in fine detail the causes and events that built up the "eastern hemisphere disease pool", read this book.

This is one of a very tiny number of books which I have bought in bulk and distributed to friends and colleagues. Although the prose style can be unnecessarily turgid and academic and will win no prizes, the ideas are so stimulating intellectually that one gradually ceases to notice the style. McNeill's central thesis, both original and plausible, allows one to review the entire history of civilization in a new light and to make testable and almost always correct predictions. Few books have the ability to so change one's view of history. I first read this book many years ago and it has held up well. Read and ponder. It may change your world view.

William McNeill's book, Plagues and Peoples, creates a new perspective on how epidemics throughout history has had dramatic effects on such areas as demographics, politics, and psychological. He brings about information that is unknown to an average person, such as that "among the organisms that infect monkeys and apes in the wild are fifteen to twenty2 species of malaria. Humankind normally supports only four kinds of malaria, but apes can be infected with human strains of malaria plasmodia..." (36) Obviously, the common man would not know that kind of knowledge; however, he lays this foundation in order to elaborate on more diseases throughout the book. McNeill wants the reader to learn that plagues haven't just come and gone, but they are still an everlasting threat on society and history as well. He brings forth little known epidemics that have plagued nations, such as the era of the "hungry forties," in which a parasite that was native to Peru established itself in Europe and destroyed the European potato crop. McNeill also includes information about the major plagues of history, which would not be found in an ordinary history book. One such example of this is that "a series of epidemics" (including the bubonic plague) "broke out in the coastal provinces of China, beginning in the year 762, when 'more than half the population of Shantung province died.'" (148) He brings about interesting parallels between two different cultures, one being between China and the Roman Empire. Among those parallels, it includes such topics as religious history, political history, and of course, epidemic history, which ties the east and west together. In order to back up such information, he provides solid evidence with the use of numerous resources He relied on 397 books in order to write his novel, Plagues and Peoples. He listed all of the books he used, by the chapter in which it was used in his book and he includes it in the book for 46 pages. He notes his extensive research throughout the book with the use of footnotes after given facts. He did use one type of graphic in order to enhance his work, which was a map that showed the spread of the Black Death in Europe in the 14th century. However, he also includes tables of various demographic figures throughout the novel and in the notes section. Mr. McNeill writes incredibly well, making the reader feel like he is directly talking to them. In his book, he asks questions that may be on the mind of the reader and then answers it and greatly elaborates on it. His evidence ranges from books such as The Conquest for Plague: A Study of the Evolution of Epidemiology by L. Fabian Hurst to the essay of "Trypanosomiasis in Prehistoric and Later Human Populations: A Tentative Reconstruction" by Frank L. Lambrecht. In the appendix of the book, he compiles a checklist of the epidemics in China from 243 B.C. to 1911 A.D., with the help of Joseph H. Cha. By the way he writes and researches this topic, it is clearly evident that he is entertained by his subject and hopes that this topic entertains its readers as well. The author really persuaded me on how the different plagues throughout time has impacted culture and overall, history. At some parts, he would bore me, especially with the hunter's history. It dragged on for nearly 20 pages, which seemed to be too long to describe man's way of obtaining food; however, overall, it was a good book. It was a book that needed to be written so that it could inform readers of how plagues and epidemics have had a pivotal role in changing the course of history dramatically. He chose to include AIDS as one of the epidemics that have had a dramatic influence on history. I was astonished as to the amount of information in this book. I learned fascinating facts, such as "the extraordinary variety of human parasites that exist in Africa suggests that Africa was the principal cradle for humankind, for nowhere else did the adjustment between human and nonhuman forms of life achieve anything life the same biological elaboration" (45) and that the phylloxera spread nearly destroyed vineyards in Europe during the late 19th century. Besides including the major epidemics throughout history, like the bubonic plague and AIDS, he includes all the epidemics that have occurred from prehistory until now. Before reading this book, I had never known that there was an influenza epidemic in 1918-1919. This is not like a history book where it only describes surface details; it goes in depth on all the epidemics that have happened in history and it keeps you wanting to read more to find out what other diseases have happened throughout history. This book is really interesting if you are into science and history or if you want to pursue a career in either of those fields. Some of the terminology that McNeill uses may be difficult to understand since it uses medical and biology terms. I would advise a future reader of this book to take this book slowly in order to fully comprehend the linguistics of the book. I would definitely recommend this book to people who want a new perspective on human history.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Will change the way you look at the world
This is one of those handful of books that will change the way you look at our world. History will never seem quite the same when you finish. Read more

Published on Oct 16 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars New perspective on history
When you go through school, the history books pretty much focus on "this group conquered this group who conquered this group" and it leaves with the impression that it... Read more

Published on Oct 12 2003 by ostawookiee

3.0 out of 5 stars Flowery language, somewhat interesting
In Plagues and Peoples, the author analyzes how micro-and-macroparasites have affected population patterns from prehistory to the recent past. Read more

Published on Sep 6 2003 by Gian S.

2.0 out of 5 stars Informative, but highly difficult to comprehend
Plagues and Peoples was a required reading book for my Sophmore AP History class. I found it to be extremly hard to read from the first few pages. Read more

Published on Aug 18 2003

2.0 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking, but not readable
I recently bought this book because of what seemed to be endless recommendations from professors and Amazon readers. I was, however, disappointed when I opened it. Read more

Published on July 22 2003 by mexicaninscotland

3.0 out of 5 stars Read For My AP History Class
I gave this book 3 Stars, not because it was a bad book, but because I could not get very interested in reading it (Keep in mind I am only in High School). Read more

Published on July 20 2003 by Roc-A-Fella 4 Life

4.0 out of 5 stars panoramic view of history
History can be written from two major vantage points. From the top of a mountain, with broad brush strokes, showing the major streams and landmarks, the BIG picture. Read more

Published on Jun 25 2003 by R. M. Williams

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing theory about the influence of plagues on history
Men and infectious organisms have long had an uneasy relationship: diseases like smallpox, the plague, measles and in more recent years influenza have carried off huge percentages... Read more

Published on Jun 22 2003 by Linda Oskam

5.0 out of 5 stars pretty good of disease in society
Diseases has been a big factor in human development. Disease has helped dictate where people have been able to live and create civilizations, helped in the conquest of countries... Read more

Published on Jun 11 2003 by Neel Aroon

5.0 out of 5 stars disease as historical dialectic
This book by historian McNeill seeks to, in his own words, " discern major landmarks in the interaction of human populations and microparasites". Read more

Published on April 28 2003 by corvidmind

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