Professor Emerita Jacalyn Duffin's new book, Covid-19: A History, will be published in October 2022 by McGill-Queen's University Press.
From McGill-Queen's University Press:
Duffin describes the frightening appearance of the virus and its identification by scientists in China; subsequent outbreaks on cruise ships; the relentless spread to Europe, the Americas, Africa, and elsewhere; and the immediate attempts to confront it. covid-19 explores the scientific history of infections generally, and the discovery of coronaviruses in particular. Taking a broad approach, the book explains the advent of tests, treatments, and vaccines, as well as the practical politics behind interventions, including quarantines, barrier technologies, lockdowns, and social and financial supports. In concluding chapters Duffin analyzes the outcome of successive waves of covid-19 infection around the world: the toll of human suffering, the successes and failures of control measures, vaccine rollouts, and grassroots opposition to governments’ attempts to limit the spread and mitigate social and economic damages.
Dr. Duffin is a celebrated and award-winning physician and medical historian, who held the Hannah Chair of the History of Medicine at Queen's University from 1988 to 2017. She is a Member of the Order of Canada (2020) and a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Canada (2012) and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (2013).
