Epidemics and history disease power and imperialism paperback nov 10 1999 by sheldon watts author 46 out of 5 stars 13 ratings see all formats and editions hide other formats and editions amazon price new from used from paperback please retry cdn 5125 cdn 4815 cdn 3347 paperback cdn 5125 7 used from cdn 3347 6 new from cdn 4815 enter save10 to save 10 1 . Epidemics and history disease power and imperialism sheldon watts new haven yale university press 1997 paperback 1999 xvi 400 p 1795 reading this book is akin to sitting atop icelands mount hekla every few pages the book explodes to release a stream of passionately felt words usually not among the victims of malaria the author an historian who spent much of his working . Sheldon watts applies a wholly original perspective to the study of global disease exploring the connections between the movement of epidemics and the manifestations of imperial power in the americas asia africa and in european homelands he argues that not only did western medicine fail to cure the diseases that its own expansion engendered but that imperial medicine was in fact an agent . Sheldon watts argues that the impact of epidemic disease is inseparable from the uses and distribution of power adopting a global approach watts concludes that most epidemics were made considerably more lethal because of european imperialist policies including those ostensibly aimed at controlling and eradicating disease. Howard i kushner epidemics and history disease power and imperialism by sheldon watts new haven yale university press 1997 xvi plus 400pp journal o