Plague-Busters!: Medicine's Battles with History's Deadliest Diseases

Ages 8 to 12

From New York Times bestseller Lindsey Fitzharris, riveting middle grade nonfiction about diseases that have shaped human history.

Bubonic plague. Scurvy. Smallpox. Cholera. Throughout history humankind has been plagued by . . . well, plagues. The symptoms of these diseases were often gruesome—but the remedies were even worse!

Get to know the ickiest illnesses that have infected humans and affected civilizations. Each chapter explores the history of a specific disease, detailing formidable symptoms, kooky cures, and medical breakthroughs that it spawned. Medical historian and bestselling author Lindsey Fitzharris lays out the facts with her signature wit, and Adrian Teal adds humor with caricature-style illustrations drawn in red-and-black.

From medical mysteries to the mark they've left on history, this endlessly flip-able book features everything you've ever wanted to know about the world's most malevolent maladies.

About the Author

Lindsey Fitzharris is the bestselling author of The Butchering Art and The Facemaker. Dr. Fitzharris, who holds a Ph.D. in the History of Science and Medicine, regularly writes for The Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, and other major publications. She is also the writer and host of the Smithsonian Channel TV series The Curious Life and Death of . . . . drlindseyfitzharris.com

Adrian Teal is a caricaturist, cartoonist, fine artist, and illustrator, with clients around the world. His work appears on numerous TV shows including Spitting Image and Big Heads. He has produced art for publications such as The Sunday Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian, Time Out, and The Daily Mail. adrianteal.com