The Deadliest Pandemic In History

“Influenza Pandemics must be taken seriously, precisely because of their capacity to spread rapidly to every country in the world” (Chan). This quote that was just stated is very relevant to what happened in 1918 during the Great Influenza or what is also called the Spanish Influenza. Many people call it the “Mother of All Pandemics” because of its impact. John Barry’s “The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History” shows us how the influenza took part in people’s everyday lives. One can tell that this book has a good solid background, strengths and weaknesses, and great use of imagery. What is the Influenza? According to the John Hopkins Medicine Health Library it is “a highly contagious viral respiratory tract infection.”

Robert Walch, a West Coast book columnist, states “Barry 's account of how the influenza spread through military camps virtually unchecked and then spread into the civilian population reads like a novel”. Walch did not like the fact that he just wrote out the facts and did not give any detail.“It is the anecdotes and personal stories of those touched by the influenza that flesh out the story and turn this lengthy study into an unexpected page turner”(Walch). Even though we have heard many stories about the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, John Barry has told us many things that we may have not known. Howard Markel of the Washington Post said “Although we have several other superb histories of the 1918 influenza pandemic, John M. Barry presents a fascinating look at how the epidemic spread and how physicians and researchers rallied to mobilize against a global health crisis”. Karen Brudney, a medical doctor at the Columbia University in New York says “Barry only focuses on what was relevant at that

“The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History” by John Barry is a great book for anyone who wants to know about the history of diseases that made an impact on the worlds history. Even though John Barry was not necessarily a doctor, he did know a lot about history and how diseases work. John Barry said “How prepared are we for a new pandemic? At this writing we are not prepared at all” (Barry). John Barry’s book shows us that we need to be very careful when it comes to diseases and our health. The Great Influenza gives use a good background about the influenza, it has strengths and weaknesses, and it has many uses of imagery. This book was very interesting