First recorded in Europe in the late 1400s, syphilis quickly spread throughout the world. A disease that slowly kills its victims, syphilis allows them enough time to spread it to others. It was not until the 19th century that syphilis was realized to be a sexually transmitted disease. Because syphilis was poorly understood, it became the subject of many myths and misconceptions, and people who suffered from the disease were often stigmatized.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome, known as SARS, was first reported in Asia in 2003, after a Chinese-American businessman died from a mysterious illness. Soon, many of the people who had treated this man became sick with the same respiratory symptoms. SARS quickly spread across Southeast Asia and China, and caused widespread fear of a global epidemic when it reached Toronto, Canada. In all, more than 8,000 people became ill, and nearly 800 died. Although SARS was quickly contained, future outbreaks remain a threat.
Plague has erupted periodically throughout most of human history. The plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, is transmitted by fleas found on many common mammals and through the air as victims develop respiratory symptoms and suffer from coughing spells. This easy transmission has made plague responsible for some of the highest death rates from any epidemic disease in history. "Plague, Second Edition" examines the disease from an epidemiological perspective.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease, is becoming an increasing concern as tainted beef has caused deadly outbreaks of the disease around the world.
Lung cancer—the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lung tissues—is the number one killer among cancer patients: Lung cancer alone accounts for 28.5 percent of all cancer-related deaths. Yet, in over 85 percent of the cases, the disease might have been prevented by eliminating its main cause: smoking. Lung cancer is especially deadly because it has no distinct, exclusive symptoms. And by the time it is detected, the disease is usually too advanced to cure.
