I have only read one book that directly deals with a plague and it was both informative and spread a wide net of interest in other areas. The book I read was BRING OUT YOUR DEAD: The Great Plague of Yellow Fever in Philadelphia in 1793. This book came to my attention during a lecture on a quarantine station that once stood in Tinicum, The Lazarus, outside the city of Philadelphia, and where immigrants, in particular German immigrants were once quarantined before being allowed to enter the city. They mentioned the book and the after effects of the Yellow Fever.
Recently I ran across an excellent essay on Slave Rebellions, especially in the Caribbean, and it mentioned how the fleeing plantation colonists brought the Yellow Fever with them from Santo Domingo to Philadelphia via mosquitos that came along with baggage.
Needless to say any history buff or reader will be familiar with the scourge of Small Pox that decimate both the soldiers and the civilians of the Revolutionary period.
And of course, we ALL are familiar with the Black Plague which wiped out a good portion of Europe in the Middle Ages.
Recently I saw a very good film called PANDEMIC, and when some of my friends felt that our current procedures of quarantine and shelter in place, closings of restaurants, malls, and gathering places, were extreme, I had to demur. Once you see the potential played out, you can understand why extreme measures are necessary. Another good film is CONTAGION.
I looked up a number of title for anyone interested in learning more:
SPILLOVER; Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
OUTBREAK; 50 Tales of Epidemics that Terrorized the World
SUPERBUGS, Matt McCarthy
and in fiction:
ZONE ONE
CHERRY (about the opioid epidemic)
Personally, I have been getting most of my news during this "Shelter in Pace" period, from BBC World News. Interesting quandary, whether to postpone the Olympics or go on as planned which seems to be the current plan. Personally, I think it should be postponed one year. We should sacrifice now to protect the future. However, that said, sometimes too much information is a detriment as I learned from reading WIRED and Y@K during that millennial scare. I bought a kerosene heater, oil lamps, kerosene and oil, water, and all sorts of suggested essentials, and nothing happened. I ended up selling all of it in a yard sale for a dollar and item, even the expired kermess and oil (who knew these things could expire?!)
So, once again, I have laid in 2 weeks supply of essentials but no kerosene stove (obviously) just canned goods, almond butter and almond milk, water and food for my pets. Needless to say, I have gotten low on various items as the days have gone by and a week passed on my 2 week supply, so I am looking at a toilet paper shortage, but I have paper napkins and paper towels if that becomes a problem. And it is just one person in my home, aside from pets, so we should be fine.
I heard a group of ladies my age talking about the epidemics and pandemics they could remember, including Y2K, a week or two ago, before the 'shelter in place' took effect: Spanish FLU epidemic of World War 1, the Yellow Fever, the Small Pox, the Polio epidemic of our own childhood (which infected Joni Mitchell and Neil Young - the singer/songwriters of our generation, as well as our President F.D.Roosevelt)SARS, EBOLA, and SWINE FLU, and let us not forget AIDS. And of course the Opioid epidemic which I suppose, though eclipsed by coronavirus at present, is still killing people in possibly much larger numbers.
Stay Well! Happy Trails -
Jo Ann
wrightj45@yahoo.com
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