''Phantom Plague: How Tuberculosis Shaped our History'' is a 2022 non-fiction book about the history of
tuberculosis by health journalist
Vidya Krishnan
Vidya Krishnan is a health-focused Indian investigative journalist and author, based in Montreal.
Krishnan reported that she was the survivor of sexual harassment at India Today in 2018 and received online abuse and death threats due to her ...
''.''
It covers the history of tuberculosis through the 19th, 20th, and early 21st centuries, from early understandings of the disease to modern public health and pharmaceutical interventions. The book explores how flawed philanthropy, politics, racism, and anti-science rhetoric have led to "medical apartheid".
Production
Krishnan wrote ''Phantom Plague'' over seven years, therefore before and during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Summary
''Phantom Plague'' covers the history of tuberculosis covering 19th-century New York City slums to present day India.
It contrasts the spread of tuberculosis through crowded urban settlements, but also mentions affluent tuberculosis patients such as
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...
,
Franz Kafka,
Eleanor Roosevelt,
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...
, and the
Brontë sisters.
The book documents early
folk remedies
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
, attempted public health measures,
and the rise of scientific solutions.
It mentions the work of
Ignaz Semmelweis,
Robert Kock,
Joseph Lister, and
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur (, ; 27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization, the latter of which was named afte ...
to advance human understanding of infectious diseases.
It documents the rise of
germ theory
The germ theory of disease is the currently accepted scientific theory for many diseases. It states that microorganisms known as pathogens or "germs" can lead to disease. These small organisms, too small to be seen without magnification, invade ...
, use and abuse of antibiotics and the epidemiological effects of crowded housing conditions on disease spread.
It notes the
World Health Organization's estimate that 25% of the world have
latent tuberculosis.
The book talks about the risk of
drug-resistant tuberculosis
Tuberculosis management describes the techniques and procedures utilized for treating tuberculosis (TB).
The medical standard for active TB is a short course treatment involving a combination of isoniazid, rifampicin (also known as Rifampin), py ...
and failed attempts to curtail the spread of tuberculosis.
''Phantom Plague'' critiques authoritarian governments, the "toxic kindness" of philanthropists, anti-science rhetoric, and describes the modern context for tuberculosis patients as "medical apartheid".
Krishnan includes themes of racism, greed, and politics in ''Phantom Plague''.
Reception
''Phantom Plague'' is described as "absolutely fascinating" by Victoria Irwin,
describes the book as "urgent, riveting and fascinating".
described it as timely and significant.
''
Scroll.in
''Scroll.in'', simply referred to as ''Scroll'', is an Indian digital news publication owned by the Scroll Media Incorporation. It publishes content in both Hindi and English languages. Founded in 2014, the website and its journalists have won ...
'' described the book as a fascinating story of human determination against tuberculosis as well as prejudice, anti-science and medical apartheid.
''The New York Times'' describes it as "clear and compelling" and a "worthy read".
References
{{Tuberculosis
Books about health
2022 non-fiction books
Tuberculosis
Books about diseases
History of medicine
Medical literature
PublicAffairs books