Infectious Disease: A Big History

The history of disease is really a story about humankind’s ever-changing relationship to the natural world. All of the momentous events in human history— the acquisition of fire, the development of farming, the Columbian exchange, rapid industrialization, and accelerated globalization— all coincide with exposure to emerging new diseases. In a way, the Covid-19 pandemic is a reminder that pathogens will always evolve alongside us, and, in fact, infectious diseases can shine a light on the complexity of our behavior as a species. In his new book, Plagues Upon the Earth: Disease and the Course of Human History, Professor Kyle Harper takes us through each stage of human history, and shows just how infectious diseases have shaped us in ways we’ve never imagined.

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