Late summer reading

Looking for a fun yet educational read as summer gives way to the start of another academic year?  Try Get well soon: history's greatest plagues and the heroes who fought them by Jennifer Wright.  

Ms. Wright's well-researched book documents some of history's worst disease outbreaks from the well-known (Bubonic Plague) to the more obscure (the dancing plague of 1518) and everything in between.  Not only was it thorough, it was also darkly funny.  I found myself laughing out loud more than once at her acerbic sense of humor.  For example, “I realize that 'Do No Harm' is the first rule of medicine, but 'Don’t apply human [excrement] to an open wound' seems like a good second one.” 

So if you're interested in the history of medicine, but also appreciate a good laugh, I highly recommend this book!