The three greatest killers in human history have not been war, famine, or natural disaster. They have been influenza, Black Death and AIDS. In the face of anxiety about an avian flu outbreak, The Essential Handbook of Epidemics, Viruses and Plagues puts it all in context. A concise and compelling insight into 50 of the most virulent and vicious plagues, pandemics and infectious diseases known to medical science, this is your guide book to diseases of the past and present with some warnings about the future.