Historical Perspective
Pestilence is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, reflecting its position as a primal fear of society, yet it is difficult for individuals born after the ready availability of antimicrobial drugs and immunizations to appreciate the historic dread of deadly epidemics. In a society preoccupied with lifestyle diseases, we forget that civilizations have fallen because of communicable diseases and that pestilence has done more to eradicate indigenous cultures than has force of arms or religion.
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