ISBN: 0470090006

Return of the Black Death: The World?s Greatest Serial Killer by Susan Scott and Christopher Duncan. DESCRIPTION: Hardcover with Dust Jacket: 318 pages. Publisher: Wiley; (2004). Dimensio… Mehr…

Return of the Black Death: The World?s Greatest Serial Killer by Susan Scott and Christopher Duncan. DESCRIPTION: Hardcover with Dust Jacket: 318 pages. Publisher: Wiley; (2004). Dimensions: 8¾ x 5¾ x 1¼ inches; 1¼ pounds. The Black Death was the most terrible and notorious serial killer of all time. Using original parish records, wills and diaries, Sue Scott and Christopher Duncan reveal the causes of the terrible plague and the human stories behind the statistics. In their skilled hands the records yield some surprising and disturbing truths. Using this evidence, Scott and Duncan prove conclusively that these plagues were not Bubonic Plague, as had been believed throughout the twentieth century, and were not spread by rats. They were the result of a lethal and highly infectious virus transmitted directly from person to person. The disease currently remains in hiding, but the Black Death, or something like it, could re-emerge at any time and, with today's highly mobile community, the consequences would be catastrophic. CONDITION: NEW. New hardcover w/dustjacket. Wiley (2004) 318 pages. Unblemished and pristine in every respect. Pages are clean, crisp, unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound, unambiguously unread. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING! Meticulous and accurate descriptions! Selling rare and out-of-print ancient history books on-line since 1997. We accept returns for any reason within 30 days! #2003a PLEASE SEE IMAGES BELOW FOR SAMPLE PAGES FROM INSIDE OF BOOK. PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW. PUBLISHER REVIEW: REVIEW: The Black Death appeared out of the blue in Sicily in 1347 A.D. and moved swiftly on to kill half of Europe in three years. Once the plague had established a stronghold in France, it continued to terrorize the continent for another three centuries. London?s Great Plague of 1665-6, which claimed 6,000 lives a week at its height, was its last great strike. A few years later it disappeared as suddenly and mysteriously as it had appeared. Authors Susan Scott and Christopher Duncan uncover the tragic and movingly human stories behind the records. Unsung heroes, bereaved parents, parted lovers, and those who exploited the suffering of others for their own greed. They also trace the origins of this lethal disease, through possible earlier outbreaks in classical times back to animal hosts in Africa. Here it remains, but there is no reason to believe it has gone for good. Co-Author Professor Christopher Duncan is Emeritus Professor of Zoology at Liverpool University. He has written over 200 published papers and seven books. Co-Author Susan Scott is a Social Historian specializing in demography. She has written 30 published papers and three books. Susan Scott and Christopher Duncan have spent years analyzing the series of plagues that ravaged Europe throughout the Middle Ages. PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS: REVIEW: A piece of astonishing medical detective work. If the twenty-first century seems an unlikely stage for the return of a 14th-century killer, the authors of ?Return of the Black Death? argue that the plague, which vanquished half of Europe, has only lain dormant, waiting to emerge again; perhaps, in another form. At the heart of their chilling scenario is their contention that the plague was spread by direct human contact (not from rat fleas) and was, in fact, a virus perhaps similar to AIDS and Ebola. Noting the periodic occurrence of plagues throughout history, the authors predict its inevitable re-emergence sometime in the future, transformed by mass mobility and bioterrorism into an even more devastating killer. REVIEW: In this text for general readers, historical demographer Scott and zoologist Duncan trace the origins of the "Black Death" that periodically devastated Europe before disappearing in the mid-seventeenth century. Drawing upon historical accounts and recent scientific research, they contend that these plagues were caused by the development of a highly infectious virus rather than an outbreak of bubonic plague. The authors conclude with a discussion of the potential for re-emergence of the disease. REVIEW: Using documents of unimaginably diverse provenance, Susan Scott and Christopher Duncan assume the role of 'plague detectives' and so provide a good account of the history of the three great plagues. It?s a valuable reference and a compelling read. READER REVIEWS: REVIEW: The return of the Black Death tries to give an overview of the spread of the Plague during the Middle Ages and Renaissance and tries to debunk history with regards to the prevalent theories on the cause of this epidemic. And I must say it does it very well. It's a good history read with a healthy dose of science and rationality sprinkled on top. The writing style is engaging and understandable, even for a layman. What most struck me is the amount of panic a small epidemic, like SARS, can generate in our modern world and how a major epidemic like HIV/AIDS, which kills millions per year, gets, relatively speaking, so little attention. A recommended read and a real eye-opener. REVIEW: The core of this book is the authors' convincing demonstration that the Black Death, which killed perhaps half the population of Europe during the Middle Ages, was not bubonic plaque, as has long been thought and taught, but a different, unknown, and far more dangerous virus. This is a difference that makes a difference. Modern medicine understands, can quickly detect, and can effectively treat outbreaks of bubonic plaque, making a major re-emergence very unlikely. But if the mysterious virus behind the Black Death, or a close cousin, were to re-emerge, the results could be catastrophic, as the authors clearly show. The authors reached this conclusion through patient sleuthing through ancient death records in towns and villages devastated by the Black Death. By tracing the exact lines of transmission, they were able to show that the virus had a long incubation period, during most of which people acted as unknowing carriers of the disease. By the time they developed its horrifying symptoms, it was too late for them and for those people they had crossed paths with. Perhaps because the authors' historical research was so important in guiding them to their radical new conclusion, they devote the first half of the book to it. Readers who make it through this sometimes repetitious recitation will find the second half of the book much more rewarding and thought-provoking. REVIEW: Scott and Duncan have quite obviously done their homework! I can't imagine the time and tedium it must have taken to sift through all those records, but it was well worth the effort. I believe Scott and Duncan have seriously found the genuine cause of the Black Death. The way they present their information makes it seem as though it were staring us in the face all along. It's hard to believe so many scientists have clung to false assumptions in the face of what seems to be overwhelming evidence (just consider Iceland alone!). I simply won't be able to equate the Black Death with the Bubonic/Pneumonic ever again. REVIEW: I'm a life scientist. I read this book about 6 months ago and looked it up on Amazon today because I wanted to recommend it to my brother. The book is utterly fascinating, and the evidence the authors present in support of their hypothesis is convincing. The authors finish their tour de force by explaining how the myth that Yersinnia pestis was the cause of the Black Death came into being. Great myths are difficult to dispel. Hopefully, the painstaking detective work we can praise and thank the authors for will eventually put paid to the deep-rooted myth that the Black Death was caused by fleas transmitting Yersinnia pestis from rats to humans. REVIEW: The authors are convincing in their case that haemmoragic plague, rather than bubonic plague, constituted the Black Death. And, it is possible that scientists could engineer a superbug that could kill millions of billions of people. The substance of what they say and the bottom-line conclusions are solid and interesting. BLACK DEATH (BUBONIC PLAGUE): The Black Death was a plague pandemic which devastated Europe from 1347 to 1352 A.D., killing an estimated 25-30 million people. The disease was caused by a bacillus bacteria and carried by fleas on rodents. The plague originated in central Asia and was taken from there to the Crimea by Mongol warriors and traders. The plague entered Europe via Italy, carried by rats on Genoese trading ships sailing from the Black Sea. It was known as the Black Death because it could turn the skin and sores black. Other symptoms included fever and joint pains. With up to two-thirds of sufferers dying from the disease, it is estimated that between 30% and 50% of the population of those regions, towns, cities infected died from the Black Death. The death toll was so high that it had significant consequences on European medieval society as a whole. A shortage of farmers resulted in demands for an end to serfdom. There ensued a general questioning of authority, rebellions, and even the entire abandonment of many towns and villages. It would take 200 years for the population of Europe to recover to the level seen prior to the Black Death. The plague was carried and spread by parasitic fleas on rodents, notably the brown rat. There are three types of plague, and all three were likely present in the Black Death pandemic. Bubonic plague was the most common during the 14th-century outbreak. Bubonic Plague causes severe swelling in the groin and armpits (the lymph nodes) which take on a sickening black color, hence the name the Black Death. The black sores which can cover the body in general, caused by internal hemorrhages, were known as buboes, from which bubonic plague takes its name Other symptoms include raging fever a, Wiley<