BOOKS ARTS COMMENT officials" But britai behaviour had at times been no better in the 40-day quarantines on all ships from the Med- iterranean, and fumigated goods with damag- ing chemicals. This plague control ' probably had more to do with gaining economic advan MIGRANT and resulted in revolts and conflict CHOLERA STROKEI COUNTRIES Contagion. When diseases arise, import ng nations often impose sanctions, from related tit-for-tat trade embar by rivals Britain and the Netherlands in the seventeenth century to European bans on US pork in the past decade. An outbreak of fire blight in New Zealand apples in the 1920: prompted Australia to enact a ban on the fruit that lasted for almost 90 years. In 2005, Jim Sutton, then New Zealands agriculture minister, raged that"Australians cheat in matters of biosecurity and the concept of A cartoon from 1892 proposes America close its ports to prevent the influx of disease from abroad honest science has no meaning to them Among the many histories of pander PANDEMICS ics, Contagion stands apart for its depth of research and breadth of sources, and its focus A deadly business on commerce The narrative is well balanced between the high-level political decision- making surrounding sanitary measures and more focused examples of how individual Andy Tatem traces the global tracks of pathogens that cities, traders or ships were affected. If this excellent book has a weakness. it is have clung to the coat-tails of trade over the centuries that it often overlooks the basic epidemiol ogy of trade-borne diseases, leaving most readers guessing as to whether the debate n 1866, the Archbishop of Canterbury of plague in a sea-port called for Britain to observe a national town dependent for As shown by Contagion, in an age of global thar alay of humiliation' to atone for the sinsits prosperity on mari- that had triggered recurring epidemics of GONTA AGIDN connectivity, governments must tread a fine line between protecting public health and disease. Such days now occur only when And before mod- ensuring economic prosperity. This can cre- British football teams exit internationaler regulations,ethics ate delicate situations. with the continued tournaments yet again. )It wasn't, of course, could be at odds with expansion of air travel and economi ic globali divine retribution that had brought plague, the need to make a zation, historical lessons are hugely relevant. mellow fever, cholera and rinderpest to the profit. When, if at all, Profit-seeking and public health can still be at United Kingdom. Rather, it was the expan- should a disease out- Contagion: How odds, and political and commercial interests sion of trade networks break be announced Commerce has often take priority over scientific decisions. Disease has always followed the world's given the economic Spread bisease As they have been for centuries, nations are main arteries of trade. Plague, for instance, consequences of Yale Univ Press: 2012. torn between offending their trading part was spread by merchant traders in Europe quarantines by trad ners and alarming their citizens throughout the seventeenth century. Huge ing partners? How The dilemma is illustrated by the case yellow-fever outbreaks in the Americas in can officials convince trading partners that of violent protests that broke out in South the nineteenth century were triggered by the an outbreak is being tackled effectively? Korea in 2008, costing the country around slave trade. More recently, outbreaks of res- How should a nation react to outbreaks in US$2. 5 billion, when US beef imports were piratory diseases, including avian influenza, nations they trade with? Contagion is full of resumed after a 5 year ban following acaseof have escalated rapidly into pandemics as a colourful examples of thevarious responses bovine spongiform encephalopathy(BSE) result of air travel. In Contagion, historian to these questions from the past 700 years As a 13-year-old South Korean schoolboy Mark Harrison chronicles the deadly legacy Heavy-handed quarantine was often put it, "I am afraid ofA. commerce,and humanity's efforts to cope. to damage rivals'economic prospects Frosty study hard in school. I could get a good job Harrison recounts how nations h relations between Britain and Egypt in the and I could eat beef and just die.a attempted to protect themselves from dis-late nineteenth centurywereexacerbated,for instance,when Egypt imposed harsh quar- Andy Tatem is an associate professor at ures can hurt trade. After city officials ntine measures on ships sailing through the the University of Florida in Gainesville. admitted a plague outbreak in Oporto, Por- Suez Canal to Europe from cholera-endemic He studies the geography and dynamics of ugal, in 1899, for instance, it was noted that regions such as India. Britains foreign office hu itisnolightmattertoproclaimtheexistencestatedthatthesemeasures"servenobettere-mail:andytatem@gmail.com 9 AUGUST 2012I VOL 488 NATURE II G 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved
I n 1866, the Archbishop of Canterbury called for Britain to observe a national ‘day of humiliation’ to atone for the sins that had triggered recurring epidemics of disease. (Such days now occur only when British football teams exit international tournaments yet again.) It wasn’t, of course, divine retribution that had brought plague, yellow fever, cholera and rinderpest to the United Kingdom. Rather, it was the expansion of trade networks. Disease has always followed the world’s main arteries of trade. Plague, for instance, was spread by merchant traders in Europe throughout the seventeenth century. Huge yellow-fever outbreaks in the Americas in the nineteenth century were triggered by the slave trade. More recently, outbreaks of respiratory diseases, including avian influenza, have escalated rapidly into pandemics as a result of air travel. In Contagion, historian Mark Harrison chronicles the deadly legacy of commerce, and humanity’s efforts to cope. Harrison recounts how nations have attempted to protect themselves from disease, while recognizing that sanitary measures can hurt trade. After city officials admitted a plague outbreak in Oporto, Portugal, in 1899, for instance, it was noted that “it is no light matter to proclaim the existence of plague in a sea-port town dependent for its prosperity on maritime commerce”. And before modern regulations, ethics could be at odds with the need to make a profit. When, if at all, should a disease outbreak be announced, given the economic c ons e qu e nc e s of quarantines by trading partners? How can officials convince trading partners that an outbreak is being tackled effectively? How should a nation react to outbreaks in nations they trade with? Contagion is full of colourful examples of the various responses to these questions from the past 700 years. Heavy-handed quarantine was often used to damage rivals’ economic prospects. Frosty relations between Britain and Egypt in the late nineteenth century were exacerbated, for instance, when Egypt imposed harsh quarantine measures on ships sailing through the Suez Canal to Europe from cholera-endemic regions such as India. Britain’s foreign office stated that these measures “serve no better purpose than the enriching of a set of incompetent and corrupt officials”. But Britain’s behaviour had at times been no better: in the eighteenth century, the government imposed 40-day quarantines on all ships from the Mediterranean, and fumigated goods with damaging chemicals. This ‘plague control’ probably had more to do with gaining economic advantages than with halting the spread of disease, and resulted in revolts and conflict. Claims of protectionism are common in Contagion. When diseases arise, importing nations often impose sanctions, from plague-related tit-for-tat trade embargoes by rivals Britain and the Netherlands in the seventeenth century to European bans on US pork in the past decade. An outbreak of fire blight in New Zealand apples in the 1920s prompted Australia to enact a ban on the fruit that lasted for almost 90 years. In 2005, Jim Sutton, then New Zealand’s agriculture minister, raged that “Australians cheat in matters of biosecurity and the concept of honest science has no meaning to them”. Among the many histories of pandemics, Contagion stands apart for its depth of research and breadth of sources, and its focus on commerce. The narrative is well balanced between the high-level political decisionmaking surrounding sanitary measures and more focused examples of how individual cities, traders or ships were affected. If this excellent book has a weakness, it is that it often overlooks the basic epidemiology of trade-borne diseases, leaving most readers guessing as to whether the debated interventions were effective. As shown by Contagion, in an age of global connectivity, governments must tread a fine line between protecting public health and ensuring economic prosperity. This can create delicate situations. With the continued expansion of air travel and economic globalization, historical lessons are hugely relevant. Profit-seeking and public health can still be at odds, and political and commercial interests often take priority over scientific decisions. As they have been for centuries, nations are torn between offending their trading partners and alarming their citizens. The dilemma is illustrated by the case of violent protests that broke out in South Korea in 2008, costing the country around US$2.5 billion, when US beef imports were resumed after a 5 year ban following a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). As a 13-year-old South Korean schoolboy put it, “I am afraid of American beef. I could study hard in school. I could get a good job and I could eat beef and just die.” ■ Andy Tatem is an associate professor at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He studies the geography and dynamics of human and pathogen movements. e-mail: andy.tatem@gmail.com PANDEMICS A deadly business Andy Tatem traces the global tracks of pathogens that have clung to the coat-tails of trade over the centuries. Contagion: How Commerce Has Spread Disease MARK HARRISON Yale Univ. Press: 2012. 416 pp. £25, $38.00 MARY EVANS PICTURE LIBRARY BOOKS & ARTS COMMENT 9 AUGUST 2012 | VOL 488 | NATURE | 153 A cartoon from 1892 proposes America close its ports to prevent the influx of disease from abroad. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved
