# 1294
Historian and author John M. Barry, whose seminal work The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History has probably done more to enlighten us on the events of the 1918 Spanish Flu than other book in history, visited MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) last month and participated in a conversation about his book.
This hour long conversation is available on the MITWorld website for streaming download. It requires RealPlayer to watch.
From the MITWorld Website
ABOUT THE LECTURE:
In conversation with Richard Larson and Sanford Weiner, John Barry, author of The Great Influenza, discusses current understanding of the dynamics of a flu outbreak, and our general state of preparedness. Based on historical patterns, we can expect three to four pandemics per century, of varying severity. In the last century, the 1918 flu was unrivaled in its ferocity, says Barry. Estimates of deaths worldwide run from 50 to 100 million people. Since the world population then was only a third of today’s, should a similar flu evolve in the 21st century, humanity would stand to lose between 175 to 300 million people.
This conversation is available as a broadband video, at a slower 56K modem feed, and a low speed audio feed.
Go HERE to listen/view.
