The Great Influenza: the Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History

In this seminar we’ll read and discuss John M. Barry’s New York Times bestselling story about the H1N1 outbreak (also known as the “Spanish flu”) that originated in the United States in 1918. The 1918-19 influenza pandemic killed more people than the plague in the 1300s and more than AIDS. Barry takes a provocative look at the transition of the medical field and medical research in the United States in the late 1800s and the collision between this new approach to science and epidemic disease by the early 1900s. There are lessons here that may help us prepare for our own challenges as we struggle with a new strain of the H1N1 influenza.

This seminar is tentatively scheduled to meet during Full Session on T from 3:40 pm - 4:30 pm.

Note: Please check the official timetable for the most up-to-date information about meeting times and locations and availability.

About the professor

Patrick Matheny
Brandon is originally from Oklahoma and a history graduate from Oklahoma State University in 1991. He earned his PhD degree in Botany at the University of Washington. Brandon spent five years as a postdoc at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts as part of the Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life (AFTOL) project. The University of Tennessee hired Brandon in March 2008 to replace Ron Petersen’s position in systematic mycology.

Contact Information

Email: pmatheny@utk.edu
Phone: 974-8896
Webpage: http://eeb.bio.utk.edu/matheny.asp