Michelle Ziegler, the author of Contagions, is a biologist who specializes in biosecurity and public health. On this blog, Ziegler writes about a number of illnesses - including Influenza, Cholera, Malaria, and the Plague - from both a historical and biological perspective. The Plague section is especially extensive, offering detailed examinations of the characteristics of various plague pandemics in history; an exploration of the etymology of Yersinia; an investigation of modern day plague infections; and a consideration of the retrospective diagnosis. Meanwhile, the section on Super-Spreaders explores the individuals and conditions that turn diseases into epidemics. In Emerging Microbes, Ziegler explores a variety of infectious diseases old and new, recurrent and temporal, that have had an influence on historical moments as well as our contemporary reality. Contagions is a strong resource for anyone interested in the history of medicine or anyone looking to incorporate scientific insight into historical explorations.