Spores, Plagues and History is the tale of one of history's most deadly bacterium, which has been causing natural disease since the time of Moses and man-made illness since World War II. Beginning with a description of the U.S. anthrax bioterrorism attacks of 2001, the story goes back in time to the earlist hint of the disease, the 5th and 6th plagues of Moses. Several epidemics are then described where anthrax was the putative cause, (e.g. , the Plague of Athens in 430 B.C. and Woolsorter's Disease in England during the late 18th and early 19th centuries), arriving at the modern era, when anthrax and other pathogens were studied and used as weapons of mass destruction by several nations, including Japan, Russia and the U.S. The story concludes where it began, with a description of how the U.S. has prepared itself -- or not -- for a future bioterrorist attack.
Chris Holmes: Biographical Sketch
Website: www.chrisholmesmd.com
Chris Holmes is a pediatrician and epidemiologist. He holds a B.A. in History from the University of California, Riverside; an M.D. from the University of Cincinnati; and an M.Sc. in Public Health from the University of Utah. He has authored over fifteen professional articles in peer-reviewed journals on topics as diverse as pediatrics, occupational medicine, biomedical ethics, and the history of medicine.
Chris has four published books:
The Medusa Strain (Durban House, 2002), a gripping novel that protrays the dangers of biological terrorism in ways non-fiction never could.
Spores, Plagues and History: The Story of Anthrax (Durban House, 2003), a non-fiction work which traces anthrax epidemics and bioterrorism from the time of Moses to Saddam Hussein.
The Garden of Evil (Durban House, 2005), a novel highlighting the threat of food-borne bioterrorism. Using cutting edge science, the terrorist finds a way to incorporate a deadly poison directly into growing vegetables, then serve them up in a prepared dish. Five die, twenty-six become ill from the attack.
Blood on the Tartan (Highland Press, 2007), an historical novel set in the Highlands of mid-nineteenth century Scotland; a tale of the Highland Clearances, an ugly time in Scottish history when the land was cleared of people to make room for sheep; and of one courageous woman's struggle to preserve her land, her rights and her heritage.
The Mosquito Tapes, Chris's latest work, is a CSI-type forensic mystery about a man, a woman and a mosquito. And a couple of dead bodies! The book will be released June, 2009 (Highland Press).
