SCOURGE The Once and Future Threat of Smallpox

The burning fever and painful pustules of smallpox have been with humankind since the beginning of recorded history. The story of its devastating effects on the civilizations of the world and its eradication by the World Health Organization several years ago hails a milestone of science. Aside from his butchery of the Spanish language as he describes Cortez’s invasion of Mexico, Patrick Cullen’s reserved inflection suits the didactic text, and his scientific pronunciation is exact. The relevance of this now “dead disease” to today’s reality comes in the last portion of the audiobook, which relates to the use of the virus as a biological weapon by introducing genetically engineered strains into unimmunized populations. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB / MAR 03]