A "brilliant new book," Dr. Eric Topol, Nature Review
Hannah Wunsch's book, The Autumn Ghost: How the Battle Against a Polio Epidemic Revolutionized Modern Medical Care, is available from Greystone Books and bookstores worldwide
"A deeply researched, utterly compelling story."
-Olivia Campbell, New York Times best-selling author of Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine
"A vivid, deeply riveting medical mystery that could not have come at a more socially relevant time."
-Jillian Horton, author of We Are All Perfectly Fine
"The Autumn Ghost is a tale told with tremendous compassion and precision. She brings a critical chapter in medical history alive with style, wit, and an impeccable eye for detail."
-Siobhan Roberts, Author of Genius at Play, The Curious Mind of John Horton Conway
"Dr. Hannah Wunsch’s The Autumn Ghost is a perfectly pitched medical mystery that will captivate you from page one. Steeped in spellbinding history about a 1950’s medical revolution that ultimately saved us during the COVID pandemic, this is a work of global importance.”
-Wes Ely, MD, MPH, author of Every Deep-Drawn Breath, winner of the 2022 Christopher Award for Literature
"As the world recovers from one health crisis, Hannah Wunsch reminds us of another frightening chapter from medical history. With skill and insight, she guides us expertly through the twists and turns of how the polio epidemic led to another watershed moment in medicine. A triumph of scholarship!"
-Lindsey Fitzharris, New York Times Bestselling Author of THE FACEMAKER
"Your book has made it possible for me to feel part of a larger story, a more noble story, a richer and more far-reaching story, but most of all, a story with heroes I never knew about and medical advances which have broader applications than I ever could have guessed. I have never wanted to be defined by polio. Having had polio is a distinction I could have happily gone without. But you have broadened the polio experience for me with this wonderful book so that I see my connection to polio in a new and more positive way. That is a very big deal.”
-Susan Hornig, polio survivor
"A fabulous, fascinating book—a sweeping history of a disease (polio), of two medical specialties (anesthesia and intensive care), and of several technologies (for ventilation and vaccine) through the lens of the 1952 Danish epidemic. Dr Wunsch’s meticulous research and graceful prose clearly explains the science behind the achievements and animates poignant stories of illness, disability, courage, imagination, and professional jealousy."
-Jacalyn Duffin, Professor Emeritus of History of Medicine, Queen’s University and former President of the American Association for the History of Medicine
Hannah received training in a science writing internship at Nature, and has worked freelance as a news writer for The Lancet.
Recent publications:
Excerpt: How the iron lung transformed polio care, Undark, May 2023
Deep Breaths: Using the tools that we have, Literary Review of Canada, May 2023
The Dominoes of the Healthcare Crisis Can't be Allowed to Fall on ICUs, Globe & Mail, May 2023
With polio on the rise, we need to remember the risks, Globe & Mail 2022
Transformations in medical care were never easy or safe, Nature 2021
Sisters who kicked down the door of the medical establishment, Nature 2021
To all the healthcare workers living on their own, McSweeney's 2020
The outbreak that invented intensive care, Nature 2020