Since the dawn of civilization, mankind has coexisted with invisible and deadly enemies - viruses. Smallpox claimed more lives than all man-made disasters and bloody wars of the 20th century | yellow fever prevented Napoleon from establishing a colonial empire and almost prevented the construction of the Panama Canal.Virologist Professor Michael Oldstone, based on the testimony of contemporaries of terrible epidemics and scientists, “germ hunters”, shows how deep the impact of viruses on human life. You will learn success stories - about heroic doctors who created vaccines against smallpox and yellow fever, overcoming household and religious prejudices, and competition between polio vaccines that saved people from the fear of becoming disabled. Of course, there is a place in the book for the stories of the ongoing struggle: due to the mistakes of business and authorities when collecting donated blood - with an outbreak of hepatitis | due to false reports that the measles vaccine causes autism in children, with fear and distrust of doctors and the state. And scientists continue to fight new threats that, appearing suddenly, as if from Pandora's box, remind us that we should not take health for granted.Editor's layout preserved in PDF A4.