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Flu
by Gina Kolata

The flu pandemic of 1918 was so deadly that even World War I did not survive its onslaught. Yet appearing before today's modern mass media, the historical footprint of this epidemic remains disproportionately small. Without television to trumpet the news repeatedly, everyone must have assumed that just their neighbor had succumbed. Yet when all was said and done, half a million died in the U.S., and perhaps 40 million worldwide.

'Flu' is a fascinating chronicle of the onset of a particularly pernicious flu, a disease that struck healthy people in their prime, rather than children and feeble seniors. The story of the subsequent hunt to discover just why it was so much more deadly than any flu before or since is an unusual one, filled with entertaining scientific anecdotes.

This adventure will take you to the frozen tundra, digging in an icy Eskimo village graveyard, to Spitzbergen Norway, above the arctic circle, and to lab benches in relatively obscure government labs.

Do you remember, or did you ever learn about the great swine flu vaccination imbroglio of the Gerald Ford administration? The government decision making that led to this colossal mistake is laid out very clearly in 'Flu'.

This book is quite a good read, but it may leave you somewhat dissatisfied nonetheless. Even after decades of investigation, it's still not known why the 1918 influenza was so deadly, or whether it could happen again. And why wouldn't it?

Cough and sneeze your way over to www.amazon.com and catch a copy of Flu by Gina Kolata

Reviewed Sunday, January 27 2002