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The Deadly Truth: A History of Disease in America (review)

The Deadly Truth opens with a quote from biologist Rene Dubois:“each type of society has diseases peculiar to itself—indeed, . . . each civilization creates its own diseases.” It is a fitting beginning to a work which examines American history through the lens of the diseases that have shaped and been shaped by the continent. Originally published in 2002, this fascinating work by Gerald N. Grob, in the History of Medicine Department at Rutgers University, has recently been released in paperback. Grob’s approach is chronological, beginning with an examination of the prevalent illnesses of pre-Columbian societies and culminating in our own era, with several underlying themes unifying the exploration. Grob’s overarching thesis is that disease never disappears, but rather merely changes in character.The effects of social class, ethnicity, slavery, war, scientific progress, and geography on medicine consistently enrich the narrative. Whether discussing native populations, European colonization, the industrial revolution, warfare, immigration, or westward expansion, Grob returns to these themes, lending a coherence to his book. The examination and reexamination of various diseases—including but not limited to smallpox, tuberculosis, and chronic disease and disability—in the