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Saturday, February 20, 2016

Booknotes: Bacteria and Bayonets

New Arrival:
Bacteria and Bayonets: The Impact of Disease in American Military History by David Petriello (Casemate, 2016).

That stuff will kill you. Bacteria and Bayonets explores the impact of pestilence and disease on the American military experience, with chapters looking at the Colonial Period, the Revolutionary War, the Early Republic, the U.S.-Mexican War, the Civil War and the modern wars of the 20th and 21st centuries. "This book not only traces the path of disease in American military history but also recounts numerous small episodes and interesting anecdotes related to the history of illness. Overall it presents a compelling story, one that has been overlooked and under appreciated. Yellow fever, malaria, tuberculosis, glanders, bubonic plague, smallpox, and numerous other bacteria and viruses all conspired to defeat America, and are enemies that need to be recognized."

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