Angel of Death by Gareth Williams, Professor of Medicine at the University of Bristol, is one of six books in contention for the prize which is awarded annually to the finest fiction or non-fiction book centred around medicine.
Smallpox, a disease once so feared it was known as the ‘angel of death’, killed millions of people throughout history until, thirty years ago, it became the first – and, so far, only – disease to be successfully eradicated from the planet.
In Angel of Death, Gareth Williams pieces together a variety of original sources – diaries, medical records, letters and articles – to tell the tale of how smallpox was finally defeated. Accounts of colourful historical figures such as Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and Edward Jenner appear alongside newly discovered material to provide insights into the anti-vaccination campaigns that remains active today, and into the many unlearned lessons of smallpox.
Angel of Death is currently leading in the Wellcome Book Prize online poll. Add your vote.