Into the Library — a book review by Margaret Scherbina
The Black Angels by Maria Smilios
It wasn’t so very long ago – within the memory of some people living today – that infectious diseases were often an untreatable death sentence. One of the most feared was tuberculosis, killing one in seven and causing horrific suffering.
The Black Angels recounts the struggle of a group of young Black women who were part of the work that eventually found a treatment and cure. These intrepid nurses fought not only disease but blatant racism and discrimination in every part of their daily lives. Today, when some resist the idea of diversity and equality for all, it is inspiring to read about how inclusivity was instrumental in combatting a plague nearly as old as humanity.
Smilios also describes the long and frustrating search for medicines that would treat tuberculosis, as researchers tried again and again to find something that would destroy the bacillus without worse harm to the patients. There were many false hopes and dead ends explored until, in the early 1950s, doctors found a combination of drugs that was not only safe but almost 95 percent effective at curing the disease.
Tuberculosis has not been conquered and still claims millions of lives per year, but the therapies developed have saved millions more.
This book was published a little over a year ago, but it would be well worth your while to look for in your library or book store.
Originally published in Forvm, the newsletter of Central New Jersey Mensa.
Central New Jersey Mensa 