Nary a Horse Left Standing: How a Nineteenth-Century Epidemic Transformed Medicine, Animal Welfare, and the Modern City

Nary a Horse Left Standing: How a Nineteenth-Century Epidemic Transformed Medicine, Animal Welfare, and the Modern City - Hardcover

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Nary a Horse Left Standing: How a Nineteenth-Century Epidemic Transformed Medicine, Animal Welfare, and the Modern City
  • Nary a Horse Left Standing: How a Nineteenth-Century Epidemic Transformed Medicine, Animal Welfare, and the Modern City
Nary a Horse Left Standing: How a Nineteenth-Century Epidemic Transformed Medicine, Animal Welfare, and the Modern City - Hardcover

Nary a Horse Left Standing: How a Nineteenth-Century Epidemic Transformed Medicine, Animal Welfare, and the Modern City - Hardcover

by Lee Alan Dugatkin
$29.95
$29.95

Book Overview

by Lee Alan Dugatkin (Author)

How a devastating outbreak of horse flu in the 1870s ground city life to a halt--but ultimately revolutionized animal rights, medicine, and transportation.

From a veteran science writer, evolutionary biologist, historian of science, and the coauthor of the acclaimed How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog).

In the 1870s, horses were the lifeblood of North American cities. New York, Boston, Chicago, and Toronto relied on tens of thousands of workhorses to power daily life. Then, in late 1872 and into 1873, a devastating outbreak of horse flu--known as The Great Epizootic--swept across the continent.

In Nary a Horse Left Standing, Lee Dugatkin chronicles this little-known crisis, revealing how the epidemic disrupted nearly every aspect of urban life. From coast to coast, livelihoods collapsed as horses lay sick, or worse dying, on stable floors, fires raged unchecked without horse-drawn wagons, and city development stalled for lack of horsepower. Just as the Gilded Age was dawning and industrialists were poised to amass fortunes, the flu slowed progress to a crawl.

Yet the tragedy also catalyzed revolutions in medicine, animal rights, and transportation. Veterinary science in the U.S. was still emerging, but detailed medical reports from the epidemic helped validate germ theory and discredit outdated beliefs. The crisis also spotlighted early animal welfare efforts, with fledgling groups like the ASPCA advocating for sick horses forced to work. Finally, the sheer vulnerability of relying on animals for transport spurred a shift toward mechanized systems.

As illuminating as it is humbling, the book brings to life a critical account of a crisis that still speaks to the complex public health and transportation challenges we face today.

Author Biography

Lee Alan Dugatkin is Professor of Biology at the University of Louisville. The author of How to Tame a Fox, Power in the Wild, Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose, and Principles of Animal Behavior, among other books, he is a fellow in the Animal Behavior Society and has lectured at over 200 universities and museums across the globe. He is a contributor to Scientific American, Psychology Today, and New Scientist.

Number of Pages: 256
Dimensions: 1.1 x 9.1 x 6.3 IN
Publication Date: September 15, 2026
ISBN9780262054546
Author Lee Alan Dugatkin
PublisherMIT Press
GenreHobbies & interests, History, and Education
FormatHardcover
PublishedSeptember 2026
LanguageENG- English
Pages256
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

History Nature Nonfiction Science

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