Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever?

About the Book

The dream of a world completely free of disease may seem utopian. Yet eradication, used in its modern sense to mean the reduction of a disease to zero by means of purposeful public health interventions, has been pursued repeatedly. Campaigns against yellow fever, malaria, smallpox and polio are among the largest, most costly programmes ever undertaken in international public health. Only one so far has been successful – against smallpox in 1980, though eradication campaigns against polio and Guinea Worm Disease are ongoing. Are such programmes, then, worthwhile? Does setting an absolute goal help focus efforts in the health field; or does such a project lead almost inevitably to disappointment? This book surveys the history of eradication, covering all the major eradication campaigns and bringing the story up to date.

About the Author :
Nancy Leys Stepan is Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University, New York. Her previous books include The Hour of Eugenics: Race, Gender and Nation (1991) and Picturing Tropical Nature (Reaktion Books, 2002).

Review :
In Eradication noted medical historian Nancy Leys Stepan objectively explores the origin, development of, and controversy surrounding eradication programmes during the past century warts and all . . . This book should be required reading for all who are concerned with global health development Stepan offers a uniquely knowledgeable insight into the evolution and controversies intrinsic to the important idea of eradication and its contributions to world health. - Donald A. Henderson, The Lancet
Stepan uses a historical context to examine todays global infectious disease control efforts, the impact of the new philanthro-capitalists on international health priorities and processes, and the push toward new eradication targets. She raises important questions about whether it is ethical to devote massive resources toward single-disease programs rather than supporting health infrastructure development more generally. This well-written, accessible book is about the future of global health as much as it is about the history of public health. - Choice
Stepan has written an important and fascinating book on the evolution of disease eradication. She follows the concept from the early twentieth century, when science held huge promise, to the recent pledge by the Gates Foundation to eradicate malaria. The book serves as a reality check for anyone vulnerable to the seductions of noble goals and modern science. Stepan raises a series of provocative questions. For example, would the vast resources spent on eradication campaigns have bought more health if they had been devoted instead to strengthening health systems? - Health Affairs
Do focused disease eradication attempts or more broadly based primary health-care efforts produce better results? Stepan discusses this question in light of todays more foundation-driven public-health world, including the Gates Foundations declared goal to eradicate malaria. Her conclusion is that eradication efforts should be exceptional and rare. For those working in or interested in public health, this book offers a well-documented look at both the history and the current challenges of eradication. - Library Journal
It would be difficult to overestimate the value of Nancy Leys Stepans Eradication: Ridding the World of Disease. The book should be required reading for anyone interested in global health past or present. Clearly written and persuasively argued, Stepan provides not just a significant account of the history of eradication, but also deeper insight into the history of international health institutions, imperial and Cold War politics, medical funding and philanthropies, and the globalization of biomedicine. - Helen Tilley, historian of medicine and author of Africa as a Living Laboratory: Empire, Development, and the Problem of Scientific Knowledge, 1870-1950
It is very important finally to have a history of eradication, especially one of such quality and comprehensiveness that considers local, national, and international experiences. Nancy Leys Stepan is a celebrated scholar who has conducted pathbreaking research on malaria, yellow fever, and smallpox. To eradicate or not to eradicate has been and continues to be an issue of central concern in global health. Stepans history forces us to ask, is it politically wise and socially useful and just to eradicate disease and, if so, what conditions and past experiences must we take into account in deciding which diseases to tackle? - Steven Palmer, Canada Research Chair in History of International Health, University of Windsor