“As the human race has moved through time, it has had a perennial struggle against disease. Plagues have swept across continents, killing 20% to 50% and on rare occasions up to 90% of the population. Illness is so ever present that in the 6th Century BCE Siddhartha Gautama Buddha listed it as one of the four sorrows of man: birth, aging, disease and death.”
So begins this authoritative and challenging discourse on the diseases which afflict mankind, including the plague, tuberculosis, yellow fever, arthritis, cancer and even including the common cold and shortsightedness. After describing the history of the illness or disease, she discusses the effects of various treatments and the effects of attitude and personality on the course of the affliction.
“Why we are born and why we were created to age and die may always remain mysteries to us… someday we may be able to pinpoint precisely why we are struck down by disease. If this were achieved, it would surely help us avoid falling ill.”
