TOW #10: The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

This is an extreme magnification of the Ebola virus, an violently deadly pathogen
 that first cropped up along the Ebola river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Approximately two-thirds of people who contract Ebola die from it.

In 1994, Richard Preston, who has written numerous pieces about bio-terrorism and dangerous diseases, released a book titled The Hot Zone, filled with stories about viral hemorrhagic fevers, their symptoms, and how they have wreaked havoc all over the world.  It is written much like a work of fiction, and readers might wish that the terrifying stories contained within it were indeed made up, as none of them are tales for the weak of heart.  Preston's repeated use of grim anecdotes and quotations from highly esteemed experts on viral hemorrhagic fevers force the reader to understand the horror of these diseases and perhaps even to become deeply afraid themselves.  I know from personal experience that has certainly succeeded, as after I started reading the book, I had some trouble sleeping, and no one can deny that he paints these diseases as extraordinarly dangerous to everyone on the planet.
The Hot Zone does not open, as one may expect, with a science-heavy explanation of what viral hemorrhagic fevers are.  Instead, Preston tells readers about a victim of Marburg virus (MARV) upon whom Preston bestows the false name Charles Monet.  Preston describes his initial symptoms (backaches and headaches), before describing Monet's experience on a plane to Nairobi so he could get to a hospital.  He writes, "His eyes are the color of rubies... his whole head is turning black-and-blue... The muscles of his face droop... His personality is being wipes away by brain damage... He loses consciousness... he continues to vomit blood and black matter... The linings of his intestines have come off and are being expelled" (Preston 17-24).  It is clear from these passages that Monet suffered greatly before his death and that any victim who comes down with MARV or any other viral hemorrhagic fever, will have the same experience.  This inspires readers to think "This could happen to me or to anyone I know", striking fear into their very hearts.  After reading this section and others like it in the book, it is difficult to deny that this type of disease is very scary and serious.  However, as Preston himself is not a medical expert, some readers may doubt these stories.  Combating this are Preston's multiple mentions of people who are experts on viral hemorrhagic fevers and other serious diseases.  He interviews people such as Major Nancy Jaax and her husband Major Jerry Jaax, veterinarians at the United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and uses their experiences working with the Reston and Ebola viruses as material for The Hot Zone.  Most of the information about viral hemorrhagic fevers in the book come from people like the Jaaxes, and the rest from Preston's own research.  Readers are more likely to believe things written in The Hot Zone when experts are referred to and quoted, as they obviously have more knowledge in this particular subject area.