Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence

This is a revised edition of a resource that compiles geo-historical information about major, outstanding, and unusual epidemics in various parts of the world from ancient times to the present. Kohn (writer and editor of numerous reference books) and the other contributors present important facts about when and where particular epidemics started, how or why they occurred and spread, whom they affected, and the outcome or significance. The approximately 700 main entries (arranged alphabetically by geographical location, except for diseases that have familiar names, e.g. the Black Death) mainly address cause and effect, with minimal attention paid to epidemiology, pathology, and etiology. Included are many cross-references and suggestions for further reading. The three appendices list entries by disease and geography, and include a timetable.