About this ebook
This Element is an excerpt from Germs, Genes, & Civilization: How Epidemics Shaped Who We Are Today (9780137019960) by David P. Clark. Available in print and digital formats.
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Is there a “good” side to epidemics? It all depends on how you look at it...
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The way epidemics have intervened in history shows that disease is not uniformly negative. An epidemic’s long-term outcome may be quite complex. Whether we regard any particular outcome as “good” or “bad” depends partly on whose side we are on and partly on the relative weight we give to short-term versus long-term effects.
About the author
David P. Clark is Professor in the Microbiology Department at Southern Illinois University. He has published 70+ articles in scientific journals, and is author of several college textbooks, including Brock Biology of Microorganisms, now in its 12th edition, Molecular Biology Made Simple and Fun, now in its Third Edition, Molecular Biology: Understanding the Genetic Revolution, and Biotechnology: Applying the Genetic Revolution. Clark earned his Ph.D. from Bristol University in 1977. His research has focused on antibiotic resistance and the genetics and regulation of bacterial fermentation.
