Down the ages, war epidemics have decimated the fighting strength of armies, caused the suspension and cancellation of military operations, and have brought havoc to the civil populations of belligerent and non-belligerent states alike. This book examines the historical occurrence and geographical spread of infectious diseases in association with past wars. It addresses an intrinsically geographical question: how are the spatial dynamics of epidemics influenced by military operations and the directives of war? The term historical geography in the title indicates the authors' primary concern...

For parents, few infections scored higher than poliomyelitis on the 'dread' factor from the early years of the twentieth century as each successive wave of the disease outdid its predecessor in the number of children it crippled and killed. But, from the 1950s, this picture abruptly changed when preventive vaccines were developed which have brought the disease to the edge of global eradication. Part One, Epidemic Emergence, 1881-1920, looks at the transition from endemic to epidemic poliomyelitis in Europe and the United States. Part Two, Global Expansion, 1921-55, covers the pre-vaccination...

This book uses data collected in the American journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for some 350 cities from around the world to look at trends in global mortality at the turn of the twentieth century, a period that witnessed some of the most dramatic changes in city growth on an international scale. The diseases considered are diphtheria, enteric fever, measles, scarlet fever, tuberculosis and whooping cough--as well as death from all causes. The data have never before been systematically analyzed and they give important insights into patterns of mortality from these diseases.