Plagues and the Paradox of Progress: Why the World Is Getting Healthier in Worrisome Ways
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Plagues and the Paradox of Progress: Why the World Is Getting Healthier in Worrisome Ways

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Plagues and the Paradox of Progress: Why the World Is Getting Healthier in Worrisome WaysWhy the news about the global decline of infectious diseases is not all good. Plagues and parasites have played a central role in world affairs, shaping the evolution of the modern state, the growth of cities, and the disparate fortunes of national economies. This book tells that story, but it is not about the resurgence of pestilence. It is the story of its decline. For the first time in recorded history, virus, bacteria, and other infectious

Why the news about the global decline of infectious diseases is not all good.

Plagues and parasites have played a central role in world affairs, shaping the evolution of the modern state, the growth of cities, and the disparate fortunes of national economies. This book tells that story, but it is not about the resurgence of pestilence. It is the story of its decline. For the first time in recorded history, virus, bacteria, and other infectious diseases are not the leading cause of death or disability in any region of the world. People are living longer, and fewer mothers are giving birth to many children in the hopes that some might survive. And yet, the news is not all good. Recent reductions in infectious disease have not been accompanied by the same improvements in income, job opportunities, and governance that occurred with these changes in wealthier countries decades ago. There have also been unintended consequences. In this book, Thomas Bollyky explores the paradox in our fight against infectious disease: the world is getting healthier in ways that should make us worry.

Bollyky interweaves a grand historical narrative about the rise and fall of plagues in human societies with contemporary case studies of the consequences. Bollyky visits Dhaka--one of the most densely populated places on the planet--to show how low-cost health tools helped enable the phenomenon of poor world megacities. He visits China and Kenya to illustrate how dramatic declines in plagues have affected national economies. Bollyky traces the role of infectious disease in the migrations from Ireland before the potato famine and to Europe from Africa and elsewhere today.

Historic health achievements are remaking a world that is both worrisome and full of opportunities. Whether the peril or promise of that progress prevails, Bollyky explains, depends on what we do next.

A Council on Foreign Relations Book



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: MIT Press
Published: 10/01/2019
ISBN: 9780262537964
Pages: 280
Weight: 0.88lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.10w x 0.70d
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SKU: 71701097813

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Jordan Akana
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
Great chew toy!
Size: Blue
Great chew toy that dogs love! The toy is hard but also soft for comfortable chewing. The plastic is lightweight and does not leave sticky residue. It is super easy to clean so won’t leave the toy smelling like stinky dog!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2025
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AL
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
Truly Chew Proof (so far)
Size: Yellow
My dog loves this corn thing (he is 1 year old and roughly 50 lbs). He has gotten to be an aggressive chewer, but this has been one of the only toys that has kept up after long use (4 months since I bought it) and not been destroyed in minutes. There is a nice squeak to it, and I really have to press hard to get it going, but it is easy for him to do it. It is easy to clean, too, because it is rubber. My only comment is for owner awareness: the description says "good for teeth and keeps them clean". This is false. I believe no dog toy or kibble will "clean" their teeth. You, the owner, just have to keep up with their oral hygiene through brushing. As for the other claims -- the training, weight management, and preventing chewing furniture -- again, use your best judgment. I did not purchase the toy for those claims. But as a durable chew toy, this yellow corn does the job and satisfies the natural instinct to chew. Note: Some of the negative reviews for durability are for the alternative blue rubber bone, which I did not purchase.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2025
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S.C
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 5
Highly recommend
Size: Blue
Update! My puppers has had this for months now and I wash it every now and then and its so durable!
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Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2026
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KJ
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
The best chew, play and teeth cleaning toy
Size: Blue
I have a 24 lb medium australian labradoodle multigen. She loves to chew and nothing soothed her teething like this toy. It also cleans the adult teeth that came in. So win win. The squeakers didn't last but that was my fault for squeaking it to tire her out in play. We personally love this toy and will purchase it again when it wears out. So thanks for a great product. 😉
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Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2025
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Rachel
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 4
Not indestructible, but pretty close!
Size: Yellow, Size: Yellow
I adopted a pit mix a little over a month ago, and so far he's managed to destroy every single toy he's had, including ones meant for aggressive chewers. He's a sucker for a good squeaky toy, and this had good reviews (and was affordable) so I decided to check it out. He's had his corn for a week now, and surprisingly, it's still holding up pretty well - though there are some caveats to that. My boy didn't even want to wait for me to take his corn out of the plastic bag, he too excited to get it. He went to town immediately, to the point where he was sitting in a puddle of his own drool after about an hour. He managed to squeak it (which I couldn't do myself), but still hasn't really gotten the hang of doing so - and the squeaker, when wet, does sound a little... Well, wet. He managed to have bite marks in it within the first six hours. Within a day, there were tiny bits of yellow rubber starting to appear anywhere that he played with this toy. A week later and there are some decent sized chunks missing from the corn - some of which I've had to cut off when they got loose and I worried about him choking on them. He loves his corn cob, and will likely get at least a few more weeks of play out of it before I have to toss it for his safety. I'm unsure of whether the squeaker is still functional, but he seems to love it whether or not it squeaks. Overall, it's not a bad toy for most aggressive chewers, but it will not last forever. The rubber is as heavy as the regular red Kong toys, but it feels slightly softer, which might contribute to his ability to break off little pieces. Make sure you keep an eye on your dog with this toy, or with any other, especially if they are chew goblins. But I'd definitely buy this toy again.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2024

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