After a patient wait, death came last week to Hans Zinsser, bacteriologist, physician, philosopher, poet, ironist, historian, raconteur. At 61, he died of chronic leukemia, a slow-moving, mysterious disease of the blood for which there is no known cure.
By many, Dr. Zinsser was regarded as the world's leading authority on typhus, the ancient plague which is now known to be virus-borne by human lice and rat fleas. Five years ago, in Rats, Lice and History, he traced with surprising charm the red-brown spots of typhus across world history. This year he announced a...
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