For as along as people have lived together in communities, infectious disease has been a part of everyday life. The fascinating story of disease-causing microbes, bacteria, and viruses crosses every area of human existence from medicine, social history, and geography to art and natural history. This unique guide takes you on a compelling journey through time and into the future, from the plagues of the Ancient Egyptians to the laboratories of the twenty-first century. Written by science and medical expert Brian Ward and produced in association with The American Museum of Natural History, Epidemicis one of the few in-depth explorations of this extraordinary subject for the ordinary reader. Discover the battle against epidemics from the Black Death and smallpox to the modern superbug.