About this Book

Until the middle of the seventeenth century, little was understood about malaria, the deadly disease that decimated populations and crippled armies. A legend, however, persisted about a beautiful Spanish countess who was cured during a stay in Peru by drinking a medicine made from the bark of a miraculous tree. And so began the search for the elusive cinchona tree by a trio of British explorers who sought to rid the world of malaria. Today, in laboratories and research facilities, the hunt continues—this time for a vaccine against the disease that eludes all efforts to contain it.