I received a free copy of Voices of the Dead by John Babb, a retired U.S. Public Health Service, Rear Admiral. I read his first book Orphan Hero which I enjoyed, but this one is different. It is a historical novel set in 1878 and tells of Yellow Fever in Memphis and New Orlean. I could feel the humidity as I read of the nurses and physicians responding to the deadly virus and risking their lives to serve others.

There are plenty of nurse heroes in this book, but also everyone from physicians to Sisters, from Priests to Madames stepped up to help their neighbors and some lost their lives in the effort. Whether you are a lover of historical novels, or epidemiological investigations, or an infectious disease nerd this is a great book.

Of course, it could be that I liked it because it had all the things that fascinate me, steamy southern cities, infectious diseases, legislation like the Quarantine Act, selfless physicians and nurses, and the Marine Hospital Service which lead to the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. It dealt effectively with the fears of quarantine and what citizens do when quarantine is ordered. In many ways, it is a case study of epidemics prior to modern healthcare.

I don’t want to spoil the book, but if you are a public health worker I think you will love it.