About This Book
The book analyzes how armed conflict fosters epidemic disease among civilian populations, tracing historical outbreaks linked to troop movements, refugee flows, breakdowns in sanitation, and impaired public health services. It surveys the epidemiology of plague, cholera, and typhus in wartime, reviews statistical and historical evidence of mortality and social disruption, and considers medical and public-health measures that have mitigated such threats. Case studies illustrate how epidemics often caused greater demographic and economic damage than battlefield losses. The text combines historical narrative, empirical data, and policy discussion to explain mechanisms of contagion and to suggest preventive measures for reducing epidemic impact during and after wars.