LibGuides: BIO 125 Pandemics: Topics

Topics and History

Leprosy in Premodern Medicine
While premodern poets and preachers viewed leprosy as a "disease of the soul," physicians in the period understood it to be a "cancer of the whole body." In this study, medical historian Luke Demaitre explores medical and social perspectives on leprosy. He draws on translations of academic treatises and archival records from the first century to late in the eighteenth century to illuminate the professional standing, knowledge, and conduct of the practitioners who struggled to move popular perceptions of leprosy beyond loathing and pity.

Leprosy in Ancient and Medieval thought (JSTOR search)

History of the plague
Glatter KA, Finkelman P. History of the plague: an ancient pandemic for the age of COVID-19. The American Journal of Medicine. 2021;134(2):176–181. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2020.08.019
Molecular history of plague
Drancourt M, Raoult D. Molecular history of plague. Clinical Microbiology and Infection. 2016;22(11):911–915. doi:10.1016/j.cmi.2016.08.031
Epidemiology of the black death
Cohn SK. Epidemiology of the black death and successive waves of plague. Medical History. Supplement. 2008;27(27):74–100.

Smallpox: emergence, global spread, and eradication
Fenner F. Smallpox: emergence, global spread, and eradication. History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences. 1993;15(3):397–420.
Smallpox and American Indians revisited
Riley JC. Smallpox and American Indians revisited. Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences. 2010;65(4):445–77.
doi:10.1093/jhmas/jrq005
An inquiry into the causes and effects of the variolae vaccinae
Jenner E. An inquiry into the causes and effects of the variolae vaccinae, a disease ... known by the name of the cow pox. London, 1798.

1831: The Map that Launched the Idea of Public Health
Koch T. 1831: the map that launched the idea of global health.
International Journal of Epidemiology. 2014;43(4):1014–1020.
doi:10.1093/ije/dyu099

(Lancet, 1831) History of the rise, progress, ravages, &c. of the blue cholera of India.
History of the rise, progress, ravages, &c. of the blue cholera of India.
Lancet. 1831;1831-32, Vol. I, No. 429 (Nov. 19, 1831).
Report on the epidemick cholera morbus (1820)
Jameson J. Report on the epidemick cholera morbus: as it visited the territories subject to
the presidency of Bengal, in the years 1817, 1818 and 1819. Calcutta: Balfour; 1820.
A treatise on epidemic cholera: including an historical account of its origin and progress (1832)
Brigham A. A treatise on epidemic cholera: including an historical account of its origin and
progress, to the present period : compiled from the most authentic sources.
Hartford: Published by H. and F.J. Huntington; 1832.

Influenza: A Century of Science and Public Health Response
Dehner examines national and international responses to influenza pandemics, from the Russian flu of 1889
to the swine flu outbreak in 2009. He chronicles the technological and institutional progress made along the way
and shows how these developments can shape an effective future policy.

Discovery and characterization of the 1918 pandemic influenza virus in historical context
Taubenberger JK, Hultin JV, Morens DM. Discovery and characterization of the 1918 pandemic influenza virus
in historical context. Antiviral Therapy. 2007;12(4 Pt B):581–91.
The Forgotten Pandemic Remembered (History and origins of 1918 influenza pandemic)
Dehner, George. "The Forgotten Pandemic Remembered." In Influenza : A Century of Science and Public Health Response.
University of Pittsburgh Press, 2012.
Public health interventions and epidemic intensity during the 1918 influenza pandemic
Hatchett RJ, Mecher CE, Lipsitch M. Public health interventions and epidemic intensity during the 1918 influenza pandemic.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2007;104(18):7582–7587.
Influenza in 1918: an epidemic in images
Navarro JA. Influenza in 1918: an epidemic in images. Public Health Reports. 2010;125:9-14

The Origins of AIDS
Looks back to early twentieth-century events in Africa that triggered the emergence of HIV/AIDS
and traces its subsequent development into one of the most dramatic and destructive epidemics of modern times.
Boundaries of Contagion: How Ethnic Politics Have Shaped Government Responses to AIDS
Case studies of developing countries that face significant AIDS epidemics--are complemented
by statistical analyses of the policy responses of over seventy developing countries.

Good politics, bad politics: the experience of AIDS
Piot P, Russell S, Larson H. Good politics, bad politics: the experience of AIDS.
American Journal of Public Health. 2007;97(11):1934–6.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) Review article.
Peiris JSM, Guan Y, Yuen KY. Severe acute respiratory syndrome. Nature Medicine. 2004;10(12):97.
SARS and MERS: recent insights into emerging coronaviruses
de Wit E, van Doremalen N, Falzarano D, Munster VJ. SARS and MERS: recent insights into emerging coronaviruses.
Nature Reviews. Microbiology. 2016;14(8):523–34. doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.81
SARS molecular epidemiology: a Chinese fairy tale of controlling an emerging zoonotic disease
Zhao G-ping. SARS molecular epidemiology: a Chinese fairy tale of controlling an emerging zoonotic disease in the genomics era. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences. 2007;362(1482):1063–1081.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) origin and animal reservoir.
Mohd HA, et al. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) origin and animal reservoir.
Virology Journal. 2016;13(1). doi:10.1186/s12985-016-0544-0
Unresolved questions in the zoonotic transmission of MERS.
Peiris M, Perlman S. Unresolved questions in the zoonotic transmission of MERS.
Current Opinion in Virology. 2022;52:258–264. doi:10.1016/j.coviro.2021.12.013
Why do some coronaviruses become pandemic threats when others do not?
Rice BL. Why do some coronaviruses become pandemic threats when others do not?
Plos Biology. 2022;20(5):3001652. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3001652

COVID-19 and Spanish flu-18: review of medical and social parallelisms
Simonetti, O., Martini, M., & Armocida, E. COVID-19 and Spanish flu-18: review of medical
and social parallelisms between two global pandemics. Journal of preventive medicine and hygiene.
2021;62(3), E613–E620.
Lessons from influenza pandemics of the last 100 years.
Monto AS, Fukuda K. Lessons from influenza pandemics of the last 100 years. Clinical Infectious Diseases,
Infectious Diseases Society of America. 2020;70(5):951–957. doi:10.1093/cid/ciz803
The persistent legacy of the 1918 influenza virus.
Morens DM, Taubenberger JK, Fauci AS. The persistent legacy of the 1918 influenza virus.
The New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;361(3):225–9. doi:10.1056/NEJMp0904819
Emerging viral diseases
Choffnes ER, Mack A, Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Emerging viral diseases. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press; 2015.

Brief history of quarantine
Ogden LE. A brief biological history of quarantine. Bioscience. 2021;71(9):899–906. doi:10.1093/biosci/biab075
Lessons from the history of quarantine
Tognotti E. Lessons from the history of quarantine, from plague to influenza a. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2013;19(2):254–9. doi:10.3201/eid1902.120312
Community mitigation guidelines to prevent pandemic influenza
Qualls N, Levitt A, et al. Community mitigation guidelines to prevent pandemic influenza - United States, 2017.
MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Recommendations and Reports.
2017;66(1):1–34.

Infectious Diseases: a Geographical Analysis
This book is a world geography of emerging diseases from antiquity to the present day. It looks at the epidemiological and geographical conditions which underpin emergence of diseases like AIDS, Ebola, H5N1 influenza, hantavirus, and SARS. Where do such diseases emerge and how do they spread or fail to spread around the globe? The book uses hundreds of specially-drawn maps to chart the source areas of new diseases and their pathways of spread.

Management of an epidemic on a college campus with testing, contact tracing, and masking
Hartvigsen G. Network assessment and modeling the management of an epidemic on a college campus
with testing, contact tracing, and masking. Plos One. 2021;16(9):0257052.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0257052

Contagion: How Commerce Has Spread Disease
For centuries commerce has been the single most important factor in spreading diseases to different parts of the world, and today the same is true. But in today's global world, commodities and germs are circulating with unprecedented speed.

Achieving Sustainable Global Capacity for Surveillance and Response to Emerging Diseases of Zoonotic Origin
One of the biggest threats today is the uncertainty surrounding the emergence of a novel pathogen or the re-emergence of a known infectious disease that might result in disease outbreaks with great losses of human life and immense global economic consequences.

Contact Tracing Apps
Science & Tech Spotlight. Contact Tracing Apps. Information brief. U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2020.

Emerging pathogens and vaccine development

History of vaccination
Plotkin S. History of vaccination. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2014;111(34):12283–12287.
An inquiry into the causes and effects of the variolae vaccinae
Jenner E. An inquiry into the causes and effects of the variolae vaccinae, a disease ... known by the name of the cow pox. London, 1798.
Emerging viruses and current strategies for vaccine intervention
Afrough B, Dowall S, Hewson R. Emerging viruses and current strategies for vaccine intervention. Clinical and Experimental Immunology. 2019;196(2):157–166. doi:10.1111/cei.13295
Emerging Variants of SARS-CoV-2 and Novel Therapeutics Against Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Aleem A, Akbar Samad AB, Slenker AK. Emerging Variants of SARS-CoV-2
and Novel Therapeutics Against Coronavirus (COVID-19). 2022 May 12.
StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan–. PMID: 34033342. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34033342/
Will SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern affect the promise of vaccines?
Gupta RK. Will SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern affect the promise of vaccines?
Nat Rev Immunol. 2021 Jun;21(6):340-341. doi: 10.1038/s41577-021-00556-5.
Erratum in: Nature Reviews Immunology. 2021 May 10;: PMID: 33927376;
Perspectives on passive antibody therapy and peptide-based vaccines against emerging pathogens like SARS-CoV-2.
Palma M.Germs. Perspectives on passive antibody therapy and peptide-based vaccines against emerging pathogens like SARS-CoV-2. 2021;11(2):287–305. doi:10.18683/germs.2021.1264
Mistrust in medicine: the rise and fall of America's first vaccine institute
Lanzarotta T, Ramos MA. Mistrust in medicine: the rise and fall of America's first vaccine institute. American Journal of Public Health. 2018;108(6):741–747. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2018.304348
more...less...
Beginning with the 1813 Act to Encourage Vaccination (against smallpox), this article traces how physicians—in the 19th century and today—have worked to build public trust in vaccination in an American culture suspicious of medical expertise.

Journal of Public Health Policy
Emerging infectious diseases: threats to human health and global stability.
Morens DM, Fauci AS, Heitman J. Emerging infectious diseases: threats to human health
and global stability. Plos Pathogens. 2013;9(7):1003467. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1003467
Warning: the next global security threat isn't what you think.
Walsh B. Warning: the next global security threat isn't what you think.
Time Magazine. 2017;189(18).
Emerging and re-emerging infectious threats in the 21st century
Mathis M, Briand S, Prentice T. Emerging and re-emerging infectious threats in the 21st century.
Releve Epidemiologique Hebdomadaire. 2015;90(20):238–44.
Bridging global health actors and agendas: the role of national public health institutes
Myhre S, et al. Bridging global health actors and agendas: the role of national public health institutes.
Journal of Public Health Policy. 2022;(20220412). doi:10.1057/s41271-022-00342-0
Emerging viral diseases
Choffnes ER, Mack A, Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Emerging viral diseases. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press; 2015.