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• Jan Greenough

  John Brooke began his medical studies in Edinburgh in the early 1960s, when many of his professors had personal experience of the epidemics of the first half of the century. Entertainingly, he recounts an introductory lecture when an eminent professor pointed out that if his students really wished to contribute to the health of humanity, they should turn to manufacturing washing machines: in the case of so many ailments, including the plague and typhus, a hot wash of clothes and bedlinen (as well as personal hygiene) is an effective means of preventing their spread.
  
  John’s varied medical career spanned nearly fifty years of practice in the UK and France, and a period of service with Médecins Sans Frontières at the malaria hospital in Chad. He is eminently well qualified not only to provide a wide-ranging account of the nature of epidemics, but also to deliver his information clearly and simply. This is not a book for the medical student, but for the general reader with an interest in the subject – which since the advent of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 includes almost everyone.
  
  In short, manageable chapters he leads the reader through an explanation of the nature of the many micro-organisms with which we live, and provides glimpses of the historical development of scientific understanding of bacteria and viruses. Indeed, he makes generous use of examples of epidemics throughout history, from the Athenian plague of 330 BC to our current familiarity with malaria and COVID-19.
  
  For this reader, who has attempted to take an intelligent and informed interest in the progress of the current pandemic – but with only the scantiest memories of elementary statistics – it was refreshing to have a simple and succinct explanation of topics like exponential growth and the R-number.
  
  His final chapter includes a list of diseases for which vaccines are available, together with the dates when they first became available. It is a reminder that scientific understanding and ingenuity have saved the lives of many millions. And also that as bacteria and viruses continue to evolve and adapt, we will also need to remain vigilant and ready to respond.

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