Anthrax: The Investigation of a Deadly Outbreak

In April of 1979 the city of Sverdlovsk in Russia's Ural Mountains was struck by a frightening anthrax epidemic. Official documents reported 64 human deaths resulting from the ingestion of tainted meat sold on the black market, but rumour told a different story, and lack of documentation left unresolved questions. In this investigation of the incident, Jeanne Guillemin unravels the mystery of what really happened during that tragic event in Sverdlovsk. Anthrax is a virulent and deadly disease. Anthrax bacteria can remain in soil for as long as 70 years, then eventually can pass from grazing animals to humans who ingest them. They can also spread through inhalation of airborne microscopic spores or those buried in soil, wool, or hides. Although natural outbreaks still occur, they are rare. Contemporary concern is riveted more on anthrax as a biological weapon. Along with a team of doctors and researchers, Jeanne Guillemin travelled to Russia in 1992 to determine the cause and extent of the epidemic. Her narrative transforms a case of epidemiological investigation into a politically charged mystery. She creates a sense of immediacy and drama with her first-hand accounts of the team's investigations - analysis of pathology photos and slides, meetings with political officials, and talks with attending doctors - and by revealing her emotions as she conducts interviews, visits sites, and interacts with those suspected of clouding the truth.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures Preface Principal Participants 1. Anthrax: Accursed Fire and Biological Weapon 2. Moscow: Fragments of Evidence 3. Moscow: Conflicting Visions 4. In the Urals: The Quest Begins 5. Autopsy Visions 6. The Community of the Dead: Vostochniy Cemetery 7. Abramova's Treasure 8. To Chkalovskiy Rayon 9. Constraints, Fears, Frustrations 10. on Doors 11. Public Health and Private Pain 12. The Unnatural Steals the Natural 13. Resignation 14. Vulnerability and Chance 15. The KGB List of Victims 16. Moscow Redux 17. Names Go to Places: Map Building Begins 18. Biological Weapons and Political Outbreaks 19. Manifestation 20. Mirage: The Animal Outbreak 21. Chkalovskiy: The Final Pieces 22. Do No Evil, See No Evil 23. The Summing Up 24. The Threat of Bioweapons 25. Return to Yekaterinburg 26. "The World Is Global" App. A. List of 1979 Sverdlovsk Anthrax Fatalities App. B. Summary of Case Data for Known Victims of the Sverdlovsk Anthrax Outbreak of 1979 Notes References Index

About the Author :
Jeanne Guillemin is Professor of Sociology at Boston College and a senior fellow at the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Review :
"Authoritative."--"New York Review of Books