The Formation of Christendom, 2nd ed. by Judith Herrin (review)

Abstract

of the Columbian exchange, which Diamond and his predecessors, historians of disease Alfred Crosby and William McNeil, mark as a global biological turning point. Harper interjects, making notable revisions to past immunological conclusions using our present understanding of genetics and immunity. An account of the Mayflower begins chapter 8, an introductory backdrop to New World colonization, the ensuing African slave trade, and their facilitation of pathogen transmission both old and new(er) to Atlantic shores—for example, viruses causing malaria (old), yellow fever (newer), and smallpox (older). Part Three ends back in Europe, centered on grisly accounts of the rise of typhus (caused by the parasite Rickettsia prowazekii) and the destructive re-emergence of smallpox (perhaps a more virulent strain of the virus) that spanned Eurasia. Our species begins its early-modern break from low life expectancy in the fourth and final part of Plagues, as Harper employs his skills as an economic historian in analyzing a most crucial subject: the relationship between wealth and health. Expounding and expanding on “The Great Escape”—a term coin by economist Agnus Deaton (The Great Escape, Princeton, 2013), branding our separation from high mortality—Harper adds useful analysis, highlighting the advantages of technological and institutional progress, especially in science and medicine, on human longevity (at least, in those fortunate places). The reader of this review might be thinking, this is rather obvious; or, how original is this evaluation? Connecting advancements in science and institutions with better health is not original. It is the way in which Harper merges his expertise in both economic history and the history of disease, along with a proficient grasp of the new science recounted, which lead to novel epidemiological insights. Plagues upon the Earth has its faults; for instance, Harper’s penchant for attention-grabbing superlatives: for example, “. . . the most deadly . . . ,” “. . . humanity’s worst enemies . . . ,” and “. . . the deadliest and most dreaded . . .”—is on full display, not unlike those in the Fate of Rome. But here superlatives seem admissible. Today, this topic needs all the attention it can get, and Harper’s treatment of it should not be missed.