The Scourge of Scrofula

The Forgotten Plague: How the Battle Against Tuberculosis Was Won - And Lost - Frank Ryan

This informative and frightening history of the battle against TB is not too technical for the non-expert reader, but a knowledge of chemistry and soil science will go a long way toward comprehension.

Ryan tells the story of the doctors and research scientists searching for a cure for Tuberculosis in the 19^th and 20th centuries. Although sometimes his breathless tone relative to their heroism disconcerts the reader, it’s still a tribute to their determination to beat this terrible disease. I never knew the bacterium which causes TB can survive and grow in single-celled organisms found in soil and dung. So cows can get TB and pass it into their milk which human kids can drink and get TB. This is one reason why raw milk is so dangerous.

The author, by the way, is a physician so his credentials to write this book are in place. The last part of the book paints a scary picture of the future of drug-resistant diseases. Thinking adults with an interest in infectious diseases and their effect on history will get much out of this book.