A masterpiece on mans battle with microbes. . Every page gives a wealth of new information on the history of man from the perspective of infectious diseases. - Nils Chr. Stenseth University of OsloIn this panoramic and up-to-date account we learn how the Black Death smallpox the Spanish flu and other great epidemics have led to enormous suffering and mass death as well as contributing to the fall of empires and changing the course of history.