Vaccines: A Biography

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Product Description

The History and Biography of Vaccines against Infectious Diseases is a multi-authored book, written for an academic audience but accessible to a general readership as well. The book examines the human stories that underlie the development of vaccines against infectious diseases. Each chapter traces the lineage of a vaccine by examining the people behind the scientific hypotheses and discoveries that led to vaccine breakthroughs. These stories are firmly anchored in their historical context, as the "biography" of a vaccine generally has its origins in a medical problem rooted within a social context that subsequently engages scientists and enlists others in the eventual solution. A prominent theme woven throughout the book is the interdependence of incremental scientific advances and investigators on one another and how such advances ultimately led to practical, preventive solutions to major public health problems in society. Additionally, the human aspect of various pivotal events in the histories of specific vaccines are illustrated �this includes scientific and political hurdles and details of clinical trial controversies. In this fashion the work interweaves scientific themes, personal stories of those involved, and the sociohistorical context in which they worked in a manner that illustrates their inter-relatedness and provides the reader with exciting accounts of these advances.

Vaccines: A Biography Review

I have always been interested in the topic of vaccines and as a student of history, purchased Vaccines: A Biography, hoping that it would fulfill the promise in its Preface of "filling a void" by focusing on the "social, cultural, and scientific history of vaccines". I wasn't looking for a technical manual or heavy basic science tome on vaccines but for a book with detailed accounts of how these lifesaving products came to be and with stories about the interesting people who came up with these ideas and pursued them. I was not disappointed. The book is wonderfully written, easy to read, and describes the science in the context of the time in which the work was occurring. It makes a fascinating read!

The introductory chapter sets the tone by placing infectious diseases in their proper, broad historical context; the final chapter gives a brief but useful glimpse into what the future of vaccines may hold. In between, the book deals with the history of vaccines against individual infectious diseases, anchored by two chapters that divide the history into its early era and the "golden age" of vaccines. Even though the chapters are written by different authors (although the Editor wrote multiple), the book flows with one voice, and the style is consistent, which makes the reading easy. I read it cover-to-cover, but it is clear that one could read individual chapters and still come away with a good understanding of the topic.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history, science, medicine, public health, or any combination of these. I learned a tremendous amount about not only vaccines and scientists, but about the social context in which they worked and the challenges they faced. I can't wait to see what the next book will be by this author.

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