Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them

Jennifer Wright

Feb 2017 · Sold by Henry Holt and Company

About this ebook

A witty, irreverent tour of history's worst plagues—from the Antonine Plague, to leprosy, to polio—and a celebration of the heroes who fought them

In 1518, in a small town in Alsace, Frau Troffea began dancing and didn’t stop. She danced until she was carried away six days later, and soon thirty-four more villagers joined her. Then more. In a month more than 400 people had been stricken by the mysterious dancing plague. In late-seventeenth-century England an eccentric gentleman founded the No Nose Club in his gracious townhome—a social club for those who had lost their noses, and other body parts, to the plague of syphilis for which there was then no cure. And in turn-of-the-century New York, an Irish cook caused two lethal outbreaks of typhoid fever, a case that transformed her into the notorious Typhoid Mary.

Throughout time, humans have been terrified and fascinated by the diseases history and circumstance have dropped on them. Some of their responses to those outbreaks are almost too strange to believe in hindsight. Get Well Soon delivers the gruesome, morbid details of some of the worst plagues we’ve suffered as a species, as well as stories of the heroic figures who selflessly fought to ease the suffering of their fellow man. With her signature mix of in-depth research and storytelling, and not a little dark humor, Jennifer Wright explores history’s most gripping and deadly outbreaks, and ultimately looks at the surprising ways they’ve shaped history and humanity for almost as long as anyone can remember.

Ratings and reviews

"You know, we used to burn people for being witches--that's what people used to do in their spare time. " A fun and dramatic exploration of plagues throughout history and how people dealt with them. Those examined are: the plague like scourge under Marcus Aurelius which precipitated the fall of Rome, the Bubonic Plague, Smallpox, Syphilis, Tuberculosis, Cholera, Leprosy, Typhoid, Spanish Influenza, a truly dreadful type of Encephalitis, the incredible popularity of the Lobotomy, Polio, and AIDS. As a history geek and a career RN, this is a book that I could not resist, and it was well worth the money. The heroes and villains are clearly presented, and there is a humor in the presentation that keeps this from being too depressing or horrific. Count this book as a wake up call.

Really enjoyed this. So much fascinating medical history, and it's hilarious.

About the author

Jennifer Wright is the author of It Ended Badly: Thirteen of The Worst Break-Ups In History. She has written for numerous publications, including McSweeney’s, The New York Observer, Salon, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Popular Mechanics, Maxim, The New York Post and more. She lives in New York City with her fiancé who is pretty sure she has a cold and not the bubonic plague.