Chapter 8 Summary

Dr. Nuland presents "A Story of AIDS." Recounting the tale of Ishmael Garcia, the doctor relates the short history of AIDS and HIV and the devastation the two have wrought on the world. Having reached a moment in medical science where doctors had begun to believe in the end of infectious disease, the year 1981 introduced a plague of death. The scourge that is AIDS knows not the difference between young or old, male and female. Two reports containing indications of an unknown disease were published in 1981. As more cases became public, experts began to share knowledge and develop case studies. In the short amount of time since 1981, as medical progress is measured, amazing things were reported in the diagnoses, evaluation, and treatment of the disease. Although it is still incurable, treatments for AIDS have been developed that increase the patient's expected life span...