91. Dr. Lydia Kang on 'Patient Zero: A Curious History of the World's Worst Diseases'

Lydia Kang practices internal medicine at Nebraska Medicine and
has written several novels including Opium and Absynthe, The
Impossible Girl, The Beautiful Poison, and Toxic. Her latest
book, co-written with Nate Pedersen, is nonfiction and incredibly
timely. It’s called Patient Zero: A Curious History of the
World’s Worst Diseases, which chronicles how diseases spread, the
scientific race to understand them, and how we race to destroy
them before they destroy us. Each chapter chronicles a particular
disease or virus–such as smallpox, the Bubonic plague, polio,
HIV, or COVID-19. Kang and Pederson combine the human stories
behind outbreaks with historical examinations of missteps,
milestones, scientific theories, and more in a darkly funny, very
accessible read. 


In this conversation with Tom Knoblauch, Kang discusses the
massive scientific advancements made to combat infectious
diseases, how our reactions to pandemics have and haven’t
changed, and what might be in store for our future.


Find the book here.