The great Manchurian plague of 1910-1911 : the geopolitics of an epidemic disease / William C. Summers.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Summers, William C.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Plague--China--Manchuria--History--20th century.

Plague.

Epidemics--China--Manchuria.

Epidemics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (217 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, c2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

When plague broke out in Manchuria in 1910 as a result of transmission from marmots to humans, it struck a region struggling with the introduction of Western medicine, as well as with the interactions of three different national powers: Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. In this fascinating case history, William Summers relates how this plague killed as many as 60,000 people in less than a year, and uses the analysis to examine the actions and interactions of the multinational doctors, politicians, and ordinary residents who responded to it.Summers covers the complex political and economic background of early twentieth-century Manchuria and then moves on to the plague itself, addressing the various contested stories of the plague's origins, development, and ecological ties. Ultimately, Summers shows how, because of Manchuria's importance to the world powers of its day, the plague brought together resources, knowledge, and people in ways that enacted in miniature the triumphs and challenges of transnational medical projects such as the World Health Organization.

Contents:

Plague comes to Manchuria

The Manchurian question

The plague

The international plague conference and its aftermath

The plague's origin : disease ecology

Plague and politics

Epilogue : a century later.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781283906432

1283906430

9780300184761

030018476X

OCLC:

824359853