In Mosquito Empires, J. R. McNeil exemplifies how interwoven human life can be with outside forces and he provides a well-written account of how something as small as a mosquito indefinitely changed history. Yellow fever and malaria, caused by the mosquito, played an important part in the conquest of the Caribbean. This book bestows a detailed approach to how history and war can be forever altered in the face of deadly disease outbreak. In lieu of the vast majority of works that largely focus on the human components of conquest, Mosquito Empires also imparts a concentrated knowledge of ecological history that intertwines with the history of humanity in the Greater Caribbean.
The conquest and expansion plans laid out for the Greater Caribbean …show more content…
There are many causes to the severity and frequency of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks in the Greater Caribbean. This book mostly focuses on ecology, demography, and immunity related to these outbreaks, however, McNeil also gives credit to climate change and weather events. Temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere have warmed over time which means mosquitoes attained an ideal environment which encouraged faster reproduction, more mosquito bites, and faster production of the yellow fever virus. Weather occurrences such as El Niño also brought ideal conditions for epidemic …show more content…
McNeil’s work is extremely well-researched, as evidenced by the 46 pages of both primary and secondary sources. McNeil’s goal in Mosquito Empires is to provide a strong link between ecological and political affairs. By demonstrating the power of yellow fever and malaria and the far-reaching effects they had on the establishment of the Caribbean empires and beyond, he more than accomplished his goal. However, there are some issues that are prominent. At times the information seems repetitive and excessively dramatic. McNeil himself points out in the beginning of the book that his argument has limitations. Though it is true that disease was an unexpected weapon deployed by both nature and humanity, ultimately it was an epidemic accelerated by man’s need to defeat and conquer. Also, the medical practices discussed are rather downplayed despite doctors fighting diseases they were unfamiliar with.
In Mosquito Empires, J. R. McNeil has provided a plethora of knowledge about the drastic fallout associated with widespread disease incubated in a foreign ecological environment. His book is both informative and dramatic. It provides an entertaining way to learn about biological agencies and the role that they played in shaping the known world today. Mosquito Empires is a beneficial asset when studying the history of the Caribbean. Without mosquitoes and the diseases they spread, history what have turned out drastically
The conquest and expansion plans laid out for the Greater Caribbean …show more content…
There are many causes to the severity and frequency of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks in the Greater Caribbean. This book mostly focuses on ecology, demography, and immunity related to these outbreaks, however, McNeil also gives credit to climate change and weather events. Temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere have warmed over time which means mosquitoes attained an ideal environment which encouraged faster reproduction, more mosquito bites, and faster production of the yellow fever virus. Weather occurrences such as El Niño also brought ideal conditions for epidemic …show more content…
McNeil’s work is extremely well-researched, as evidenced by the 46 pages of both primary and secondary sources. McNeil’s goal in Mosquito Empires is to provide a strong link between ecological and political affairs. By demonstrating the power of yellow fever and malaria and the far-reaching effects they had on the establishment of the Caribbean empires and beyond, he more than accomplished his goal. However, there are some issues that are prominent. At times the information seems repetitive and excessively dramatic. McNeil himself points out in the beginning of the book that his argument has limitations. Though it is true that disease was an unexpected weapon deployed by both nature and humanity, ultimately it was an epidemic accelerated by man’s need to defeat and conquer. Also, the medical practices discussed are rather downplayed despite doctors fighting diseases they were unfamiliar with.
In Mosquito Empires, J. R. McNeil has provided a plethora of knowledge about the drastic fallout associated with widespread disease incubated in a foreign ecological environment. His book is both informative and dramatic. It provides an entertaining way to learn about biological agencies and the role that they played in shaping the known world today. Mosquito Empires is a beneficial asset when studying the history of the Caribbean. Without mosquitoes and the diseases they spread, history what have turned out drastically