Inside The Outbreaks: The Elite Medical Detectives Of The Epidemic Intelligence Service (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
This was a wonderful introduction to what the CDC actually does, at least in the Epidemic Intelligence Service department. While slow at times and with a jagged format, this book wasn't the most pleasurable read. However, it further reinforced my dream to work in the CDC, in a department like the EIS, traveling around the country and globe to combat disease and help people. In this way I think telling the history of the EIS through short, blurb-like tales of the epidemics encountered actually works; it really gives the reader a good sense of the range of ailments and events the CDC must respond to. The epilogue also contains a wonderful selection of further reading and I hope to pick up a few. All in all, a worthwhile read. This is a broad overview of some of the cases covered by the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS). It reads like a bulked up chronology line, so rather than follow the mystery of Legionnaire's Disease to completion in one section, you get get the fractured chunks of it in chronological order. You also don't get a good feel for the various EIS agents. If you're looking for basic information, this book is fine, but if you want something more comprehensive and personal I suggest one of the memoirs of the agents in question.
What do You think about Inside The Outbreaks: The Elite Medical Detectives Of The Epidemic Intelligence Service (2010)?
Interesting subject, but the book itself felt lacking in a narrative.
—maggie
