Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues
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- Author：Jonathan Kennedy
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Summary
A sweeping look at how the major transformations in history--from the rise of Homo sapiens to the birth of capitalism--have been shaped not by humans but by germs
According to the accepted narrative of progress， humans have thrived thanks to their brains and brawn， to actions undertaken individually and collectively that have bent the arc of history。 In this revelatory book， sociologist and public health professor Jonathan Kennedy argues that the peddlers of this myth of human exceptionalism massively overestimate the role that we play in social and political change。 Instead， it is the humble microbe that wins wars and topples empires。
Drawing on the latest research in fields ranging from genetics and anthropology to archaeology and economics， Pathogenesis takes us through the 60，000 years of our human history， exploring eight major outbreaks of infectious disease that made the modern world。 Bacteria and viruses were the protagonists in the demise of the Neanderthals， the growth of Islam， the transition from feudalism to capitalism， the devastation wrought by European colonialism， and the growth of the United States from an imperial backwater to a global superpower。 Even Christianity rose to prominence on the back of a wave of deadly pandemics that swept through the Roman Empire in the second and third centuries。 The members of this small group tended both their own sick and those abandoned by the Romans， saving many lives and helping turn this tiny， obscure sect into one of the world's major religions。
By centering disease in his wide-ranging history of humankind， Kennedy challenges some of our most fundamental assumptions about our collective past--and urges us to view our current moment as another disease-driven inflection point that will change the course of history。 Provocative and brimming with insight， Pathogenesis transforms our understanding of the human story。
According to the accepted narrative of progress， humans have thrived thanks to their brains and brawn， to actions undertaken individually and collectively that have bent the arc of history。 In this revelatory book， sociologist and public health professor Jonathan Kennedy argues that the peddlers of this myth of human exceptionalism massively overestimate the role that we play in social and political change。 Instead， it is the humble microbe that wins wars and topples empires。
Drawing on the latest research in fields ranging from genetics and anthropology to archaeology and economics， Pathogenesis takes us through the 60，000 years of our human history， exploring eight major outbreaks of infectious disease that made the modern world。 Bacteria and viruses were the protagonists in the demise of the Neanderthals， the growth of Islam， the transition from feudalism to capitalism， the devastation wrought by European colonialism， and the growth of the United States from an imperial backwater to a global superpower。 Even Christianity rose to prominence on the back of a wave of deadly pandemics that swept through the Roman Empire in the second and third centuries。 The members of this small group tended both their own sick and those abandoned by the Romans， saving many lives and helping turn this tiny， obscure sect into one of the world's major religions。
By centering disease in his wide-ranging history of humankind， Kennedy challenges some of our most fundamental assumptions about our collective past--and urges us to view our current moment as another disease-driven inflection point that will change the course of history。 Provocative and brimming with insight， Pathogenesis transforms our understanding of the human story。
Reviews
Jannette Tacka
，
Sociologist， Jonathan Kennedy's book should be titled: Pathogenesis， A History of the World's Plagues in Eight Time PeriodsThe last "plague period" focuses on the Plague of Poverty。 I was hoping for an exploration of epigenetics， gene modification and the interplay of the previous plagues but since the author isn't a scientist， that is for another to write。 The text was repetitive in parts and at times had me questioning some far-fetched claims regarding the rise and spread of different religion Sociologist， Jonathan Kennedy's book should be titled: Pathogenesis， A History of the World's Plagues in Eight Time PeriodsThe last "plague period" focuses on the Plague of Poverty。 I was hoping for an exploration of epigenetics， gene modification and the interplay of the previous plagues but since the author isn't a scientist， that is for another to write。 The text was repetitive in parts and at times had me questioning some far-fetched claims regarding the rise and spread of different religions。 Overall， an INTERESTING read which brings you up-to-date on current archaeological/historical/scientific discoveries。 。。。more
Andy Gettings
，
50% history， 30% scientific analysis， 15% social commentary。 Not sure the actual percentage of fiction presented as fact， but it was more than a little。The analysis was mostly solid and conclusions often unanticipated， but there were a few times when Kennedy used strawman arguments or straight-out conjecture aka fiction to support his main thesis that infectious diseases have very strongly influenced the history of mankind。 Take-aways:t• Many battles and wars were won by waiting for warmer weath 50% history， 30% scientific analysis， 15% social commentary。 Not sure the actual percentage of fiction presented as fact， but it was more than a little。The analysis was mostly solid and conclusions often unanticipated， but there were a few times when Kennedy used strawman arguments or straight-out conjecture aka fiction to support his main thesis that infectious diseases have very strongly influenced the history of mankind。 Take-aways:t• Many battles and wars were won by waiting for warmer weather when mosquitoes would spread malaria or yellow fever。 Or old-world foreigners could wait a few years and let their germs kill their foes in the new world。t• Christianity got a boost from plagues in a couple of different ways。 Kennedy seemed to go out of his way at times to shine institutions， people， countries in a bad light which dilutes his presentation。t• Africans were the preferred workforce in the new world because of their superior immunity。 t• European explorers had trouble getting into Africa until the mid-19th century when they found ways to beat malaria （quinine）。 Before that， most members of explorer parties died and nearly all got sick。t• As recently as 50k years ago， there were many hominid species like in Tokein's "The Hobbit" with its different species 。I initially was going to give 3 stars， but dude， come on， stop making stuff up。 。。。more
Annette
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Perfect example of why an author shouldn’t read his own book。
Janet
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A very interesting look at human history through the lens of infectious disease。 A perspective that gave me lots to think about。 Kind of sad that humans don't seem to learn from our experiences very well。 A very interesting look at human history through the lens of infectious disease。 A perspective that gave me lots to think about。 Kind of sad that humans don't seem to learn from our experiences very well。 。。。more
Denise Plank
，
First， I agree with some of the other reviewers that the title is misleading; I， too， was thinking it would be organized differently than it was。 I am also concerned about the accuracy of the book。 This did have enough inaccuracies that I noticed that it made me wonder about the rest of the text。 There are some interesting bits in the book， but are they accurate？This felt like an opinion piece while I read it。 I don't doubt the number of times plagues created issues for humanity in general。 I do First， I agree with some of the other reviewers that the title is misleading; I， too， was thinking it would be organized differently than it was。 I am also concerned about the accuracy of the book。 This did have enough inaccuracies that I noticed that it made me wonder about the rest of the text。 There are some interesting bits in the book， but are they accurate？This felt like an opinion piece while I read it。 I don't doubt the number of times plagues created issues for humanity in general。 I don't doubt that human's inhumanity to humans happened， but one thing I came away with was just how awful we as humans have been to each other。 There were facts， but there was so much more interpretation and speculation added to them。Would I read it again？ No。 Would I recommend it？ No， not without the caveat that this be read for general interest and not taken as word-for-word fact。 For those who ask: basic premise for the book is hard-core evolution， so you might want to think before you read。 It can be read as an alternate point of view book for those who believe in creation or a supreme intelligence， etc， but there is the possibility that the book will aggravate/anger that reader。 。。。more
Scott L
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An interesting view of world history and how infectious disease impacted the course if it。 All the way up to and including covid 19。
Kaz
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Excellent and challenges the notion of war as the primary loss of civilizations。
Eugenea Pollock
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Mind-blowing！ Revelatory！ Canary-in-the-coal mine！ This historical approach places many epidemiological events in a new perspective in relation to each other。 But， in truth， the most valuable （and scariest） aspect of this book is its view of our future—how climate change affects microbes and viruses and， hence， our health and well-being。
Lorna
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I am deeply fascinated by historical disease， so I thought that this would be the perfect read to enhance my understanding of disease throughout history。 I was left pretty disappointed。 As other reviewers have pointed out， the book deals with eight time periods rather than eight plagues。 Additionally， I did not feel that I learned anything new （other than the water for the Trevi fountain is delivered via a first century aqueduct）。 For anyone with more than rudimentary knowledge of history， this I am deeply fascinated by historical disease， so I thought that this would be the perfect read to enhance my understanding of disease throughout history。 I was left pretty disappointed。 As other reviewers have pointed out， the book deals with eight time periods rather than eight plagues。 Additionally， I did not feel that I learned anything new （other than the water for the Trevi fountain is delivered via a first century aqueduct）。 For anyone with more than rudimentary knowledge of history， this is not really worth your time。 If however， you aren’t well versed or are just getting in depth with history I’d recommend it with the caveat that it is still Western centric and has some problems。 It’s a good reminder to read widely。 。。。more
Kristy G
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Started out sciency， turned too historical then political。 I was hoping for mostly science。 Boo。
Jackie
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gotta love some reading some epidemiology for fun！！ really interesting exploration of how infectious diseases have shaped our society， at times got a bit repetitive， but overall very well done。
Daniel Lefler
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A new to me and intriguing view on world history。
Andrés Astudillo
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Historical content with no bias 5/5Social Justice Scholarship throughout the book 1/5The Enlightenment has put some lucky people on what seems like a -perpetual path of progress-， but much of the world’s population lives in what must feel like a dystopia。- Jonathan KennedyThis single quote can define the spirit of the book。 I bought it because I thought I was going to read something written by a medical doctor， a virologist， or epidemiologist。 Turns out， that the author has a Ph。 D in Sociology Historical content with no bias 5/5Social Justice Scholarship throughout the book 1/5The Enlightenment has put some lucky people on what seems like a -perpetual path of progress-， but much of the world’s population lives in what must feel like a dystopia。- Jonathan KennedyThis single quote can define the spirit of the book。 I bought it because I thought I was going to read something written by a medical doctor， a virologist， or epidemiologist。 Turns out， that the author has a Ph。 D in Sociology。 This is why， we see him quoting Marx， Engels， and Michel Foucault （which by the way no one mentioned a single fuck when rumors of Foucault's sexual abuse of children came out）。Social Justice Scholarship was born in Academia。 This is why we now have books on astrophysics and systemic racism; about genetics and white supremacy， and why BBQ is racist。 This is why I cringed when I had to read a book on evolutionary medicine that said that men can get pregnant。 I tried， I really tried not to be a critic of it， but what am I supposed to do when I read this kind of stuff？Look at this one:“A modern-day equivalent might be a right-wing U。S。 milita or band of English football hooligans making their way to Moscow， kidnapping and killing Vladimir Putin， seizing Russia’s oil and gas reserves and then declaring the territory a colony， which their descendants go on to dominate for centuries。”Of course， it is ALWAYS the right-wing for invading anything。 He mentions this while comparing Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro conquering both the Aztecs and the Incas。 I am Ecuadorian， the capital of Ecuador is Quito， an important place for the Inca Empire。 I don’t give a fuck about what happened， I don’t seek vengeance， nor I want Spanish people to ask for forgiveness。 One major problem with this kind of people， is that they see history judging it with the moral standards of today， and not only that， they pursue retribution or reparations for every thing that most of what “white males” have done。 This does not apply to any other culture。 The problem with this kind of thought， is that is denies human nature。 At the moment these people judge like that， they turn themselves into the High Priests of Morality。 This is why I hate SJW。Another gem:“Michel Foucault saw the shift in the focus of states from controlling territory to governing people’s bodies as a key feature of the modern world。”Foucault appears along with his theory about biopower。 Please， tell me once again the Chinese Communist Party managed to control their people？ This is mentioned in the last chapter concerning Covid。 At some point， you can feel how he managed to give credit to China （although he says he does not， I don’t know why he has to clarify this exact thing）， while saying that Covid outbreak in the US was all because of Donald Trump。 There is an app in China in which， literally George Orwell’s 1984 came true。 He even mentions that “tragically， Li Wenliang died”。 Come on。 The guy died because the CCP wanted to。 Quote Foucault on that。This is another gem on white supremacy， or “white studies” or “whiteness”:“There is， however， something unsettling about a group of white， Oxford-and Cambridge-educated men entolling the virtues of colonialism， albeit for comedic effect。”I don’t need to say more。Chapter Six， called “Revolutionary Plagues”， starts with the narration of George Floyd’s murder （another SJW saint）。 This is the start on what I call “racist pathogenesis”:In chapter 6， we can read stuff like::“In August 2019 the New York Times launched its 1619 Project， with the aim of ‘placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of the United States’ national narrative’。Why the FUCK am I reading about the stupidest thing that did not work， called “The 1619 Project”？Or this one:“It is specifically racial nature of modern American slavery that distinguishes it from pre-modern forms of forced labor。 But once Black Africans had become inextricably linked with slavery in the European imagination， modern ideas about race were developed in order to justify this iniquitous situation。”This is Critical Race theory in its pure form。 If you are black living in the US， YOU MUST ACCEPT THAT YOU WERE SLAVE; THAT DEFINES YOUR LIFE。 This is even worse than “the capital sin” that was imposed in the Middle Ages。 There’s no way you can be free， there’s no way things have changed。 Tell that to Thomas Sowell， Candace Owens， Allen West， and we can debate on that。 Just look at this brat:https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=o68OW。。。Or this another gem:“…although the United Stated abolished slavery at the end of the Civil War， it never rid itself of white supremacy and Black subjugation”。 Notice the capital letters on “black” and how “white” is written。Another form of CRT。“The murder of George Floyd and the massive BLM protests that broke out across the country in the summer of 2020 indicate that， more than a century and a half after the abolition of slavery， there remains a long way to go until African Americans have the same rights to life， liberty， and the pursuit of happiness as their white compatriots。”The chapter ends with this gem:“The ten poorest countries in the world are all former colonies in sub-Saharan Africa。 It is not unreasonable to conclude that these societies would have been better off if Europeans had never discovered a moderately effective treatment for malaria and the region had remained a white man’s grave”。This is based on the grounds of one of the pillars of the Social Justice Scholarship， called “post-colonialism”。The last chapter， is about structural racism， and a hate to the West:“In the West we celebrate Edward Jenner as the pioneer of vaccines， but the Chinese have been inoculating their population against smallpox for over 1000 years”。I mean， did we benefited from the former Chinese empires having vaccines？ I don’t think so。 I live in Ecuador， and we do not produce vaccines。 I was， thanks to the West， vaccinated with Pfizer。 The fact that Jenner somehow “discovered” vaccines in the West， was a good thing。 The news spread quickly in these countries and bam， people like me， in Ecuador had to opportunity for that。 This “hatred” for the West is beautifully depicted by Douglas Murray in “The War on the West”。 The theme of vaccination is gracefully written by Siddartha Mukherjee in his book “The emperor of all maladies”。It can be considered a “classic” by saying that Steven Pinker sucks:“But in the most reductive way， liberal optimists like Pinker are right when they claim that the world is getting healthier。 If one looks at data from the World Bank， its clear that global average life expectancy has improved markedly， from about fifty years in the middle of the twentieth century to almost seventy-three today”。 This is because of the book “Enlightenment Now”。 You know。 White-cis-christian-males are bad for society。 This is the moment in which you feel hatred for the West and towards white people。 Another gem on CRT:“The stress of existing in a racist society has a devastating impact on both psychical and mental health。”Really？One more gem on drugs:…”the fastest way to escape the North American version of Shit Life Syndrome in the early twenty-first century is alcohol， crystal meth or fentanyl。”But he does not mention who consumes drugs， or the macroeconomics surrounding the issue。 He does not mention thousands of people from my country， from Venezuela， from Cuba， from Guatemala crossing La Selva del Darién， exposing their lives to death， just to cross the border and arrive to the US。 None of them want to go to Venezuela， Cuba， Haiti， North Korea or China。 Why is that？ Would someone care to answer me that？And finally:“…we should take inspiration from the fact that， throughout history， pandemics have driven momentous political and economic transformations。 They shine a light on corrupt and incompetent leaders， reveal and exacerbate pre-existing social divisions， and encourage people to question the status-quo。 The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted many of the problems that blight modern society。 It is now up to us to seize the opportunity to address these inequities and to build a happier and healthier world。”As I mentioned before， one of the most used words of a SJW， is “status-quo”。 Probably the influence of French philosophers。Now， please， I am not saying that we should not fight injustice。 Doing that is in our genes。 We are hardwired for certain responses。 The key is to do that with facts， both economical， historical and biological， not turning history into a simple story of “oppression” and “capitalism”。 The reason why socialism and communism fail， is because those ideologies deny human nature。 Capitalism， on the other hand， is like a mirror that reflects human nature on both its pros and cons。 I am saying that after reading a lot of books on the subject， and really trying to understand why we behave like this， throughout history。 At some point in the book， he mentions something related to “vaccine colonialism”， because of the fact that low--income countries do not receive vaccines for covid。 Whose fails is that？ Big Pharma？ The CCP？ Donald Trump？ Ideology？ Which one？The first chapter and the introduction， LOVED IT。 Because it mentions a lot of evolutionary sciences， human species。 But you start feeling some high ground morality， when he mentions that “some scientists stated that Homo Sapiens was superior to the Neanderthal species”。 Ok， who the fuck is alive then？ And why？ Do we really need to question why？ Why the need to turn evolution into a political statement？The content of viruses great。 I mean， the author is really informed。 But unfortunately， you can sum up by saying that everything is fault of the “wealthy ones”。 And whatever “good deed” done by them， is counterbalanced by everything wrong we’ve done。 。。。more
Alice
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A little heavy with names and dates for audio book listening， but learned a ton and the second half was gripping。 Especially enjoyed parts about American slavery and how European entry into African countries became more devastating/widespread once Europeans could somewhat defend themselves against malaria- how disease can be a helpful barrier to outsiders without immunity or devastating for the home community。 The tie to Covid felt organic and illuminating （rather than a forced “applications tod A little heavy with names and dates for audio book listening， but learned a ton and the second half was gripping。 Especially enjoyed parts about American slavery and how European entry into African countries became more devastating/widespread once Europeans could somewhat defend themselves against malaria- how disease can be a helpful barrier to outsiders without immunity or devastating for the home community。 The tie to Covid felt organic and illuminating （rather than a forced “applications today” chapter some books can tend to end on）。 Particularly enjoyed the shift in focus from “great men” in history to disease and class struggle- whereas history in school flips the order of importance between those。 Also had no idea how often the Black plague was popping for so longIn world events where I knew disease played a role （eg cholera’s spread in industrialized England）， this helped spell that out more clearly and emphasize the mechanics of how things happened; and in other events where I didn’t know disease played a role in shaping history （eg prevalence of malaria in the southern US aligning with confederate states; Homo sapiens becoming the dominant species partly due to diseases）， it was a fascinating new angle。 。。。more
Andy Gunton
，
3。5 stars。 A decent book， but I haven't long read a similar book concerning the same topics & I didn't think this book was as well written。 3。5 stars。 A decent book， but I haven't long read a similar book concerning the same topics & I didn't think this book was as well written。 。。。more
Steve
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Kennedy does an excellent job of explaining the impact of disease and plagues on the development of human history。I found it interesting that Oliver Cromwell would not take Jesuit's bark since it was aligned with the Catholic Church！ Kennedy does an excellent job of explaining the impact of disease and plagues on the development of human history。I found it interesting that Oliver Cromwell would not take Jesuit's bark since it was aligned with the Catholic Church！ 。。。more
Gabi
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Not necessarily what the title made me think it would be， but a nice left leaning overview history of civilization focused on the angle of our relationship to microbes， the history of public health， and its tie to state power。 Pretty short and a decent read。
John Petersen
，
This is certainly one of the most fascinating books I have ever finished。 The author has a PhD in sociology and teaches politics and global health at Queen Mary University of London。 The title is a bit of a misnomer， really。 It doesn’t trace the history of eight separate plagues/diseases but rather traces the role diseases/plagues have played in eight separate time periods， starting with the epochal “moment” when modern homo sapiens outlasted the other human species populating the globe during t This is certainly one of the most fascinating books I have ever finished。 The author has a PhD in sociology and teaches politics and global health at Queen Mary University of London。 The title is a bit of a misnomer， really。 It doesn’t trace the history of eight separate plagues/diseases but rather traces the role diseases/plagues have played in eight separate time periods， starting with the epochal “moment” when modern homo sapiens outlasted the other human species populating the globe during the Paleolithic Era。 I listened with rapt attention and found all of it incredibly interesting。 That being said， the overall narrative was…ahem， plagued by a couple problems。 First and foremost， he seems to want to explain almost all these huge turning points in human history as a result of disease and plagues only， almost denying the huge number of other complexities that would have been present in such events。 I would love to get my hands on a review of this book done by a professor of history and see how much she/he would agree with the overall account。 Secondly， I think he makes a couple historical errors， giving more credence to things when not deserved。 For instance， he repeats the line about massive and widespread persecutions of Christians by Rome in the second century。 Most scholars today have rejected that notion， noting they were much fewer and localized than originally assumed。 Still， this is a fantastic book that should stimulate much discussion， and I would highly recommend it。 。。。more
Adina Hilton
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One of the most interesting and thought provoking books I've read lately！Kennedy discusses 8 broad periods of time， from pre-history/ancient homo species to modern times。 In each chapter he discusses the role of disease in human history。 Some of the diseases he discusses are heavily documented and are familiar to readers， like Bubonic plague， smallpox， and tuberculosis。 Others are mysterious and can only be inferred from fragments in the historical and archeological record。Each chapter offers a One of the most interesting and thought provoking books I've read lately！Kennedy discusses 8 broad periods of time， from pre-history/ancient homo species to modern times。 In each chapter he discusses the role of disease in human history。 Some of the diseases he discusses are heavily documented and are familiar to readers， like Bubonic plague， smallpox， and tuberculosis。 Others are mysterious and can only be inferred from fragments in the historical and archeological record。Each chapter offers a very broad and thoughtful take on how diseases played a pivotal role in major historical events。 Kennedy even speculates about the role of disease and immunity in the rise of homo sapiens verses other homo sub-species。This was the perfect book to read slowly， chapter by chapter。 I'd read a chapter eagerly， and then I'd think about it for days afterward and discuss it with my husband。It's a great jumping off point for many topics， not just related to disease， and its curious questions and engaging writing style made me excited about learning， history and so much more！I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who's looking for a well written， engaging read that will really make you think！ 。。。more
Suzy
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I had previously enjoyed Guns， Germs， and Steel and Jared Diamond's argument of the key aspects that allowed a civilization to dominate。 Kennedy offers a counter argument -- that plagues changed world events。 When I think of how Covid has changed life for many of us， it is a timely book。 I had previously enjoyed Guns， Germs， and Steel and Jared Diamond's argument of the key aspects that allowed a civilization to dominate。 Kennedy offers a counter argument -- that plagues changed world events。 When I think of how Covid has changed life for many of us， it is a timely book。 。。。more
Emily
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Really appreciated this book。 Basic premise: pathogens and their development/evolution alongside humans， and their impact on human life， have shaped human history more profoundly than most modern conceptualizations acknowledge/account for。 I found this really interesting and the author's examples and interpretation of them eye-opening。 I did get the impression that some of the arguments were overreaching or oversimplifying history in places to highlight the role of microbes/disease at the cost o Really appreciated this book。 Basic premise: pathogens and their development/evolution alongside humans， and their impact on human life， have shaped human history more profoundly than most modern conceptualizations acknowledge/account for。 I found this really interesting and the author's examples and interpretation of them eye-opening。 I did get the impression that some of the arguments were overreaching or oversimplifying history in places to highlight the role of microbes/disease at the cost of fully detailing the complex array of sociopolitical factors。 。。。more
Nik
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Was expecting more epidemiology and microbiology and less history and sociology， kind of a snoozer。 I really thought it would be about 8 plagues， not 8 time periods that had plagues…
Kelsey Lefever
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Really cool and unforgettable book I’d like to reread。 If I hadn’t already been sold on the topic alone， the Bosch-esque cover would have been enough to get my attention too。 This book is divided into eight（？） sections， each focusing on a major plague that impacted the trajectory of humanity and how it changed the world， from plagues of Neanderthals， Black Death， colonial plagues， industrialization era plagues and more。 I found this fascinating， texted pieces of it that blew my mind to my husban Really cool and unforgettable book I’d like to reread。 If I hadn’t already been sold on the topic alone， the Bosch-esque cover would have been enough to get my attention too。 This book is divided into eight（？） sections， each focusing on a major plague that impacted the trajectory of humanity and how it changed the world， from plagues of Neanderthals， Black Death， colonial plagues， industrialization era plagues and more。 I found this fascinating， texted pieces of it that blew my mind to my husband， and really tried to savor it。 The conclusion dives into COVID; that knowing what we do about illnesses and who is most susceptible， and since disease can shape politics and policy making， we should make the best of what has happened to improve our world for the better （paraphrasing roughly）。 A wonderful idea， just a bummer to read because I don’t think that ultimately happened。 We learned very little on a societal level， and I’m sure another major plague will be on its way to upheave society all over again。 🫣Edit to add some of my favorite facts from this book:In the history of our planet， if you condensed billions of years down into one calendar year， bacteria appeared in the early spring。 Humans don’t appear until 30 minutes before midnight on December 31。The reason humans are capable of forming memories， AND the reason humans give live birth， is because of ancient retrovirus infections our ancestors got。Disease pandemics are actually a huge part of the reason Christianity spread and took off as an early religion。Some bacteria actually regulate human moods because they produce dopamine and serotonin。 Related， a study found that two of those types of bacteria were actually absent in the guts of people with depression。There is so much bacteria on the planet that if you put it all together it would weigh 1000x more than all the humans on the planet。A liter of seawater contains over 100 billion virus particles。Only 220 viruses are capable of infecting humans。Everyday， phages kill up to 40% of all bacteria。 。。。more
Mariah
，
Listened to audiobook I loved this。 I felt like this book was tailored made for me - history， epidemiology and anthropology！ I think the author did a really good job of looking at the big picture of how disease impacted history and economics， but I was really hoping for more of a public health focus。 Minus one star for a few reasons:- obesity epidemic section （huge eye roll for me） - this tended to be very Eurocentric。 I loved the sections about Africa and Asia and would have loved to get into t Listened to audiobook I loved this。 I felt like this book was tailored made for me - history， epidemiology and anthropology！ I think the author did a really good job of looking at the big picture of how disease impacted history and economics， but I was really hoping for more of a public health focus。 Minus one star for a few reasons:- obesity epidemic section （huge eye roll for me） - this tended to be very Eurocentric。 I loved the sections about Africa and Asia and would have loved to get into that more - I’m a public health girly and I really could have used more of that！ I would definitely describe this more of a history book that mentions disease occasionally。 Agree with other reviews that structuring it by disease rather than periods of history would have made more sense。 Bonus points for the Paleolithic plagues section， there’s nothing I love more than hearing about pathogens and biological anthropology！！！！ 。。。more
Russell King
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This book presented an entirely new side of history and world development to me regarding the role of pathogens。 It is amazing that the influence of pathogens on history is not taught as a part of history which was at least not the case when I went to school。 The book reveals there was a third hand in many of the major events of the world that was very significant in the outcomes。
Melissa Krough
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Not being in academia， I can't speak to the facts stated in the book。 But as an avid student of life， I found this book completely fascinating。 I enjoyed seeing the history of the world through the eyes of disease rather than just the will of "great men"。 It was also easy to read and didn't feel at all like a textbook （which has been a common issue for me and a lot of historical nonfiction）。 I borrowed the audio book from the library but I want to buy a hard copy to read again。 Not being in academia， I can't speak to the facts stated in the book。 But as an avid student of life， I found this book completely fascinating。 I enjoyed seeing the history of the world through the eyes of disease rather than just the will of "great men"。 It was also easy to read and didn't feel at all like a textbook （which has been a common issue for me and a lot of historical nonfiction）。 I borrowed the audio book from the library but I want to buy a hard copy to read again。 。。。more
Sara
，
Starts off strong， with a great thesis and is divided into different time periods and "plagues"。 It falls short in the end and is focused WAY too much on mosquitoes and malaria （which I wouldn't classify as a plague， as much as just a disease that exists） and also governments' approach to public health。 He lost me towards the end when his communist sympathies started to show （he really believes the data out of China showing there were less Covid-19 deaths there than in the US an UK）。 Also， there Starts off strong， with a great thesis and is divided into different time periods and "plagues"。 It falls short in the end and is focused WAY too much on mosquitoes and malaria （which I wouldn't classify as a plague， as much as just a disease that exists） and also governments' approach to public health。 He lost me towards the end when his communist sympathies started to show （he really believes the data out of China showing there were less Covid-19 deaths there than in the US an UK）。 Also， there wasn't much focus on actual plagues， like the Bubonic Plague or the 1918 Flu Pandemic， or even Covid-19。 I guess I just wanted a different book。 。。。more
Ben
，
The role of pathogens in human history is central and not adequately articulated by traditional histories -- that's his main point。 Its an impressive and succinct argument covering many epochs。 The first chapter or two read like a rehash of "Sapiens" but it picked up after that。 The book is almost too short to cover all the ground it attempts to cover。 I wish he cited more primary sources at certain points。 The role of pathogens in human history is central and not adequately articulated by traditional histories -- that's his main point。 Its an impressive and succinct argument covering many epochs。 The first chapter or two read like a rehash of "Sapiens" but it picked up after that。 The book is almost too short to cover all the ground it attempts to cover。 I wish he cited more primary sources at certain points。 。。。more
Caitlin Filiato
，
I thought this was a solid history recounting and found it interesting to look through the lens of pathogens and diseases to highlight how they affected history’s progression。
Samantha
，
A wild ride through human history and all those times a bunch of people died！ I wish it was better organized by plague rather than time period， and that there was more actual scientific info on the said plagues， but I’m pleased with this book。 I’d recommend it to anyone wanting to understand how microbiology influences culture and history！
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pathogenesis a history of the world in eight plagues pathogenesis a history of the world in eight plagues jonathan kennedy pathogenesis a history of the world in eight plagues review