This book was really interesting! It’s written by Dr. Guinan
who has spent most of her life working for the CDC on public health issues. I
had never really considered public health an exciting field before, but she’s
been all over the world working to eradicate smallpox and educate the public on
STDs.
The various stigmas that she has faced as someone working on
STDs demonstrate how important it is that the public have access to accurate
information about diseases and that we continually work against myths. Many of
the AIDS patients that she saw were abandoned by their families and wasting
away. Her work with syphilis was similar, people saw it as a way to punish
sinners.
It's a short read, but an interesting one. I wish that she
went into more detail about her own life, but my guess is that she wanted to
stay focused on the cases that she was presenting. There’s a varied mix of
them, including when she was an expert witness and when she was in India
combatting smallpox. She’s lived a full life, and it’s fascinating to hear
about her adventures.
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