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Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever?
How shall we improve human health? One answer by eradication. The Gates Foundation announced in 2007 that their goal is malaria eradication; another of their priorities is polio eradication. Eradication means the complete elimination of a disease through deliberate human intervention. It stands for an absolute in public health. This book by the award-winning historian of medicine Nancy Leys Stepan is an accessible, beautifully written, and deeply researched examination of one of the most controversial issues in public health today. The eradication of disease might seem like an absolute good. But critics of eradication argue that the huge resources needed to achieve eradication could be better allocated toward developing primary health services and general improvement in health. This book aims to look at the benefits and drawbacks of single-minded efforts to rid the world of particular diseases, one at a time. The sweep of the book is impressive, from the origins of the idea of complete eradication in the early twentieth century until the present-day campaigns against polio, Guinea worm disease, and now malaria. The author places eradication's story in its many contexts, from imperialism, changing notions of public health, the history of medicine and its technologies, the development of international health agencies such as the World Health Organization, and the impact of the Cold War on the shift of attention to disease in developing countries. At the center of this narrative is Dr. Fred Lowe Soper (1893-1977), a U.S.-trained doctor who became the arch-eradicationist of his time. His campaigns to eradicate hookworm disease, yaws, yellow fever, malaria, and smallpox are treated in compelling detail, as are the roles of international health agencies such as the Rockefeller Foundation and the World Health Organization. Throughout the book Stepan draws attention to the way that the ideal of eradication has repeatedly arisen, phoenix-like, from its setbacks. In a powerful conclusion, she uses the example of the current campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease to argue that, today, under the right circumstances, eradication and primary health care need not be in conflict, as they were in the past, but can form mutually reinforcing policies to improve the health and well-being of populations, especially the poorest and most disease-burdened populations of the world.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 16, 2020
Este libro cuenta la historia del concepto de eradicación. Vemos como tuvo sus origenes en la post guerra y como algunas enfermedades se convirtieron en símbolos de esta "batalla" contra la naturaleza Malaria, polio, tuberculosis, etc. Mezclado en un ambiente donde el conocimiento científico emerge para fomentar la medicina, y potenciado por la guerra fría vemos como este concepto se apropia del mundo occidental y es usado como un arma política.
Excelente desde un punto de vista histórico y muy bien tratados los concptos de biomedicina.
Excelente desde un punto de vista histórico y muy bien tratados los concptos de biomedicina.
January 2, 2012
The last case of Small Pox worldwide was reported in Somalia in 1977. In 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) formally declared the successful eradication of this disease. Thus, it became the first and, to date, the only disease to be successfully eradicated as defined by Dr Fred Soper (1893-1977) ie. the reduction to zero of a disease through deliberate intervention.
It is not, however, the only, or even the first or most costly, attempt at eradication. Malaria, Yellow Fever, Polio and Guinea Worm have all been targeted at various times and with varying degrees of success.This book outlines the history of eradication, the different methods used and the different countries they were used in and why, with the exception of Small Pox, they have, so far, failed. The author discusses the socio-economic, biological, and political aspects of each attempt. She also discusses whether eradication is an achievable or even desirable goal and looks at other, less absolute, approaches to disease control.
This book is a fascinating look at the history of disease eradication. It is well-written and well-researched. It is aimed at the general reader as well as historians and those in the field of medicine. As one of those general readers, I can't say that this is an easy read - there are no 'human interest' stories interspersed among the facts as in other books of this type - but this is definitely a book worth reading on one of the most important issues facing us today - the state of the world's health.
It is not, however, the only, or even the first or most costly, attempt at eradication. Malaria, Yellow Fever, Polio and Guinea Worm have all been targeted at various times and with varying degrees of success.This book outlines the history of eradication, the different methods used and the different countries they were used in and why, with the exception of Small Pox, they have, so far, failed. The author discusses the socio-economic, biological, and political aspects of each attempt. She also discusses whether eradication is an achievable or even desirable goal and looks at other, less absolute, approaches to disease control.
This book is a fascinating look at the history of disease eradication. It is well-written and well-researched. It is aimed at the general reader as well as historians and those in the field of medicine. As one of those general readers, I can't say that this is an easy read - there are no 'human interest' stories interspersed among the facts as in other books of this type - but this is definitely a book worth reading on one of the most important issues facing us today - the state of the world's health.
January 6, 2016
You're going to learn a lot about mosquitoes.
November 5, 2019
Nancy Leys Stepan gives a comprehensive history of work to eradicate various infectious diseases, with a unifying thread of the work of Fred Lowe Soper.
There was a huge amount in here which was new to me, and it was thoroughly readable for a general audience. Stepan gives a great and sobering illustration of how many attempts at disease eradication have failed for essentially the same reasons. I also thought that she gave a balanced account of the dangers of eradication programmes, and in particular the diversion of resources from projects which might have a greater impact on the health of populations. That said, Stepan sometimes got a little bit stuck in the fine details of some of her examples
Essentially, Stepan made me think much more deeply than I have previously about attempts at disease eradication. Her thesis, as stated in the book, is that "eradication campaigns should be exceptional and rare" - and I was fully convinced by her arguments.
As a sort of public note to self - I'm doing some work around TB control in low incidence areas at the moment, and was struck by this paragraph on page 215 which is relevant:
"The phrase, 'the realm of the final inch' was appropriated (and modified) by Henderson from the Russian Alexandr Solzhenitzyn's novel, 'First Circle' (1968); Henderson used it to indicate the crucial moment that Soper had always singled out in his discussions, when a disease or a vector targeted for eradication has almost disappeared; at this point, the costs per case detected and eliminated go up, just as the visibility of the disease practically disappears. Almost invariably, the urgency of the pursuit vanishes too, vigilance diminishes, controls peter out, and the disease on which so much time and effort has been expended eventually returns."
There was a huge amount in here which was new to me, and it was thoroughly readable for a general audience. Stepan gives a great and sobering illustration of how many attempts at disease eradication have failed for essentially the same reasons. I also thought that she gave a balanced account of the dangers of eradication programmes, and in particular the diversion of resources from projects which might have a greater impact on the health of populations. That said, Stepan sometimes got a little bit stuck in the fine details of some of her examples
Essentially, Stepan made me think much more deeply than I have previously about attempts at disease eradication. Her thesis, as stated in the book, is that "eradication campaigns should be exceptional and rare" - and I was fully convinced by her arguments.
As a sort of public note to self - I'm doing some work around TB control in low incidence areas at the moment, and was struck by this paragraph on page 215 which is relevant:
"The phrase, 'the realm of the final inch' was appropriated (and modified) by Henderson from the Russian Alexandr Solzhenitzyn's novel, 'First Circle' (1968); Henderson used it to indicate the crucial moment that Soper had always singled out in his discussions, when a disease or a vector targeted for eradication has almost disappeared; at this point, the costs per case detected and eliminated go up, just as the visibility of the disease practically disappears. Almost invariably, the urgency of the pursuit vanishes too, vigilance diminishes, controls peter out, and the disease on which so much time and effort has been expended eventually returns."
May 4, 2021
A bit dry at times but a fascinating look at the different diseases the world has been trying to get rid of. I thought polio had been eradicated but only small pox is and children no longer receive a vaccine for it. That was a terrible disease but it is scary to think that there are 2 labs, one in Moscow and one in Atlanta Georgia that still have live small pox virus and a discussion is still going on about whether to destroy them or not. The book was written in 2011 but near the beginning, there was a paragraph about the people in the early 1900s that could easily describe what we are going through right now and proves that we are all just human beings trying to do the best we can.
"Education, full citizenship, participation, and political equality are the historical routes to achieving the cooperation between individuals and the authorities that is necessary to make public health work; public health fiascos have many causes, but non-compliance tends to occur when the public do not in fact share the values of the authorities, or have lost confidence in their expertise."
"Education, full citizenship, participation, and political equality are the historical routes to achieving the cooperation between individuals and the authorities that is necessary to make public health work; public health fiascos have many causes, but non-compliance tends to occur when the public do not in fact share the values of the authorities, or have lost confidence in their expertise."
November 24, 2019
An interesting look into global public heath's history with eradication of diseases. It is a technical read that can be a bit dry but is well researched and follows in a clear and logical manner.
March 7, 2017
It is not common to read such a detailed chronicle about such specialized field as medicine, particularly epidemiology.
The write is monotonous but the facts portrayed are well documented and are portrayed from a broad perspective that takes into account historical, political and economical factors. In this book there are no easy answers and probably no final conclusions, but there is a lot to learn. My main learning is that disease control/eradication is a complicated matter that has been tackled successfully in a small number of occasions. However, this occasions together with the failures can give us insightful knowledge for an approach to public health that is inclusive, realistic and effective.
The write is monotonous but the facts portrayed are well documented and are portrayed from a broad perspective that takes into account historical, political and economical factors. In this book there are no easy answers and probably no final conclusions, but there is a lot to learn. My main learning is that disease control/eradication is a complicated matter that has been tackled successfully in a small number of occasions. However, this occasions together with the failures can give us insightful knowledge for an approach to public health that is inclusive, realistic and effective.
January 12, 2016
The author chose to frame the book around the life and ideas of Dr. Fred Soper. This leads her to spend many pages on trivia that I found boring and irrelevant. This is a shame because disease reduction is an important topic and she has many good insights. I think though that I would recommend the books below for understanding how to fight "tropical" diseases or to get the story of the successful eradication experience.
October 25, 2012
An interesting take, not only on the complicated history of eradication attempts but also on current challenges for eradication and other public health interventions.
December 30, 2016
reads more like a mystery than nonfiction - and that's a good thing here
March 26, 2017
Fascinating subject matter but could have used another round of editing. Very uneven organization and level of detail.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews