Smallpox: The Death of a Disease

”[Henderson’s] easy narrative is convincing, in part because of his central role but especially because of his generosity towards the numerous other participants – he portrays the ‘front-line troops’ in the field as being even more important than those at WHO headquarters. His magnanimity makes his criticisms all the more trenchant and cogent…

-Nature

“This inspiring achievement makes a stirring read for medical history fans…”

-Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Hardcover Edition:

”…[Henderson’s] tale of how smallpox was killed is a detailed object lesson in how to do the impossible on a shoestring budget, with a bureaucracy that doesn’t want to know. It would be useful reading for anyone dealing with similar organisations today. As we worry about a possible flu pandemic, it is heartening to read about the one germ we did defeat. There may never be another story like it.”

-New Scientist

D. A. Henderson, MD was professor of medicine and public health at the University of Pittsburgh and a distinguished scholar at the Center for Biosecurity in Baltimore, as well as former dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He served as Life Sciences Adviser to President G. H. W. Bush and was the first director of the newly created Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness in the Department of Health and Human Services. He is the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science plus many other awards. He has received the Japan Prize and has been knighted by the King of Thailand.