{"product_id":"9789635267279","title":"The River of Death: A Tale of London In Peril","description":"\u003cp\u003eAnother in the \"Doom of London\" series, in which the author sounds a clarion call of potential disasters that may fall upon the great city. Here he relates a tale of environmental contamination leading to a medical panic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLondon in a year of severe drought; water level in the Thames river extremely low, blazing heat wave for 3 weeks in August; a Portuguese cargo ship sinks and contaminates a tributary of the Thames; 3 of the crew members are discovered to be dying of some disease; the local doctor is frightened by what he sees, calls the health authorities, who call for help from Professor Darbyshire, a scientist who deals with \"fighting diseases in the bulk\", someone we might call an environmental epidemiologist today; he investigates, then ... Darbyshire makes a hurried call asking his friend, Dr. Longdale, to come at once to his house where he has a small laboratory.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Darbyshire produced a phial of cloudy fluid, some of which he proceeded to lay on the glass of a powerful microscope. Longdale fairly staggered back from the eyepiece. \"Bubonic! The water reeks with the bacillus! I haven't seen it so strongly marked since we were in New Orleans together. Darbyshire, you don't mean to say that this sample came from—\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes, the sample was water from the contaminated Thames, the river from which roughly 4\/5 of the water comes to supply the needs of the 5 million Londoners. Longdale says the water system must be shut off.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"And deprive four-fifths of London with water altogether!\" Darbyshire said grimly. \"And London grilling like a furnace? No flushing of sewers, no watering of roads, not even a drop to drink. In two days London would be a reeking, seething hell — try and picture it, Longdale.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"I have, often,\" Longdale said gloomily. \"Sooner or later it had to come. Now is your chance, Darbyshire — that process of sterilisation of yours.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWill he save London? Of course — he's the hero of the story. But how? Does London panic? How do the authorities respond?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Booklassic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47141036654832,"sku":"9789635267279","price":0.97,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9789635267279_p0.jpg?v=1763684849","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9789635267279","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}