Preview
  • Scourge

  • The Once and Future Threat of Smallpox
  • By: Jonathan B. Tucker
  • Narrated by: Patrick Cullen
  • Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (286 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Scourge

By: Jonathan B. Tucker
Narrated by: Patrick Cullen
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.45

Buy for $15.45

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Smallpox, the only infectious disease to have been eradicated, was one of the most terrifying of human scourges. It covered the skin with hideous, painful boils, killed a third of its victims, and left the survivors disfigured for life. In this riveting, often terrifying look at the history of smallpox, Jonathan B. Tucker tells the story of this deadly disease, the heroic efforts to eradicate it worldwide, and the looming dangers it still poses today.

Starting in the 16th century, the smallpox virus afflicted rich and poor, royalty and commoners, and repeatedly altered the course of human history.

No safe way of preventing smallpox existed until 1796, when an English country doctor named Edward Jenner developed a vaccine against it. During the ensuing 170 years, vaccination banished smallpox from the industrialized countries, but it remained a major cause of death in the developing world, killing almost two million people per year. Finally, in 1967, the World Health Organization launched an intensified global campaign to eradicate smallpox. By early 1978, the disease had been eliminated worldwide.

During the 1980s, Soviet leaders cynically exploited the world's new vulnerability to smallpox by mass-producing the virus as a strategic weapon. In recent years, concern over the possible return of smallpox has taken an even greater urgency with the realization that clandestine stocks of the virus may still exist.

©2001 Jonathan B. Tucker (P)2002 Blackstone Audiobooks
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Scourge

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    150
  • 4 Stars
    91
  • 3 Stars
    32
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    126
  • 4 Stars
    60
  • 3 Stars
    26
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    133
  • 4 Stars
    68
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Had to listen to it twice!

Listened to this book on a long drive from San Jose back home to AZ. There are some extremely interesting parts mostly having to do with small pox as a potential for biological warfare. As a retired AF officer and with a degree in microbiology, I’m listening to what should’ve probably been classified information forever considering we now have rogue nations and the threat of acts of terrorism. Discussed what the Russians were developing (Cold War era) and it was detailed and interesting. You listen for a long time before it’s mentioned the information was reclassified

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Interesting subject.

I was always interested in this subject matter. So this book was great for me, has history, some science, and some scenarios.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Eye opening and relevant!

Those who don't learn and remember history are doomed to repeat it. This surprising account of the eradication of smallpox not only brought to life an achievement in my lifetime that most take for granted , but it also uncovers the fact that we should have been much more prepared for a pandemic like COVID and how people would respond. It also adds a frightening look at the biological weapons race many aren't aware of. I just wish the narration was better. It was too slow, and kund if robot-like. To have the name of the smallpox virus mispronounced from first to last page is just sloppy. Other scientific terms were also mispronounced, as well. You would think a narrator would do their homework before embarking on a science book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting, but with annoying mispronunciations

The book is quite interesting as an overview of the challenge faced in eradicating smallpox in the 20th century. The book is detailed and addresses WHO efforts worldwide as well as political challenges that impeded the work.

The narrator has an old-fashioned newscaster's tone and pacing, but annoying mispronounces many ordinary words. I am willing to overlook mispronunciation of technical terms, but the narrator should be able to speak standard English.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great writing, bad voice actor

Great content but the voice actor’s frequent mispronunciations greatly took away from my enjoyment of the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Everyone should listen to this

Well written and read. Can get a little technical but I learned quite a bit from this book. This story is important in understanding more of the ease of spread of current diseases and the near impossible fight against them. Great work...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Everything you wanted to know about Smallpox

Seminal book on the science and politics of Smallpox throughout history, and the tug of war between states to hold on to the virus for later, possibly destructive, uses. Gives you a great look at the workings of the WHO, and public health in general. Well researched. The author was robably was granted access to WHO and CDC files, naming patients, dates, medical files, etc. The ending is so political that one loses track, but in general, a great book well narrated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting, but a LOT of mispronunciations

I'm usually quite lenient when it comes to narrators, but the number of mispronunciations here is staggering. First off he mispronounces variola, which he literally has to read hundreds of times as it's the name of the smallpox virus and the way the author usually refers to it. It's not just variola though, it's Kazakhstan, Hamas, virulation, and many other common names and words. I don't understand how the narrator has gone through his whole life without ever hearing someone say Kazakhstan... and a lot of the tail end of the smallpox era was in India and the Middle East so just be ready to hear everyone's names getting butchered. It's as if he has an intuition about which syllables to emphasize on words he hasn't encountered, but it's the exact opposite of where it's supposed to be.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Deja by all over again

Very scary, a preview of the Covid pandemic , very insightful about the responses of the public and of the government

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Chilling

A very chilling story especially given COVID-19 and the various reasons for refusing vaccinations then and now.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!