Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright

 

Summary (from the publisher): A humorous book about history's worst plagues—from the Antonine Plague, to leprosy, to polio—and the heroes who fought them.

In 1518, in a small town in France, Frau Troffea began dancing and didn’t stop. She danced herself to her death six days later, and soon thirty-four more villagers joined her. Then more. In a month more than 400 people had died from the mysterious dancing plague. In late-nineteenth-century England an eccentric gentleman founded the No Nose Club in his gracious townhome—a social club for those who had lost their noses, and other body parts, to the plague of syphilis for which there was then no cure. And in turn-of-the-century New York, an Irish cook caused two lethal outbreaks of typhoid fever, a case that transformed her into the notorious Typhoid Mary and led to historic medical breakthroughs.

Throughout time, humans have been terrified and fascinated by the plagues they've suffered from. Get Well Soon delivers the gruesome, morbid details of some of the worst plagues in human history, as well as stories of the heroic figures who fought to ease their suffering. With her signature mix of in-depth research and upbeat storytelling, and not a little dark humor, Jennifer Wright explores history’s most gripping and deadly outbreaks.

Review: This entertaining and informative work of non-fiction overviews thirteen of the worst plagues to ever affect the human race. Those covered included the Antonine plague, bubonic plague, dancing plague, smallpox, syphilis, tuberculosis, cholera, leprosy, typhoid, Spanish flu, Encephalitis Lethargica, lobotomies, and polio. 

This was a great overview of some of the worst plagues. It reminded me a lot of a survey course in college. At the end of this, the reader should know a good bit about each plague. But of course, you could easily read a standalone book on each plague separately. And in fact, I have read several books about different plagues discussed in this book. So, I did learn a lot, but some of them I already had more extensive knowledge of. But I do love random medical facts and details, so this book really fit the bill for me. Sometimes I struggle to stay interested listening to non-fiction books on audio, but this held my attention and was fascinating until the very end. 

I was surprised at the author's inclusion of lobotomies. I understand the argument, and many did suffer through this atrocious medical intervention, but it was just that - a horrific surgical choice and not an infectious disease like every other plague discussed in the book. 

I did appreciate the author's attempt at levity by including humorous asides throughout. While some of them were a bit cringey, this was a heavy topic. It was nice to have some humor and to also get a sense of the author's personality. It gave the narrative a conversational tone, which I appreciated. 

Stars: 4

Related Titles: 

• Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic that Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries by Molly Caldwell Crosby
  
• A Time to Dance, a Time to Die: The Extraordinary Story of the Dancing Plague of 1518 by John Waller.