Did the Black Death destroy medieval Europe? Did cholera pave the way for modern Manhattan? Did yellow fever help end the slave trade? Remarkably, the answer to all of these questions is yes. Time and again, diseases have impacted the course of human history in surprisingly powerful ways. From influenza to smallpox, from tuberculosis to yellow fever, Bryn Barnard describes the symptoms and paths of the world's worst diseases--and how the epidemics they spawned have changed history forever.

Filled with fascinating, often gory details about disease and history, Outbreak is a wonderful combination of science and history.