Thank you, Henry....
(So, the description 'equine or avian' is merely shorthand, and fairly arbitrary in this example?)
PS --- are you familiar with the book Plagues and Peoples, (by McNeil... if memory serves)?
IMO, one of the most important books of history ever written, exploring in a lively manner the intersection of human history and disease... with disease coming across clearly as the most important unmentioned factor in the modern history of man, cultures, war, etc.
I was struck by the underlying similarities between the mathematics of disease ecology, and the evolution of language in isolated populations, or the market behavior of crowds (eg, Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds)... although these similarities are merely hinted at, not explicit, in the text.
A real 'page turner' & 'eye opener'.... |
