THE GREAT INFLUENZA The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History

Scott Brick would make a fine lecturer. John M. Barry's book about the great influenza epidemic of 1918, which killed up to 100 million worldwide, is also a history of the practice of medicine. Brick's steady voice perfectly details the state of medical research in the 1800s, underlining the point that it was nonexistent. He allows a slight tinge of incredulity in his voice when he relates that doctors simply did what they had always done, never questioning their practices. When Brick gets to the epidemic itself, which started out of sheer greed and the stupidity of the government in Philadelphia, the listener is ready for it. Be prepared to be horrified. M.S. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 06]