[課程目標]：
隨著人類文明的進展，疾病亦隨之變化。農業及畜牧業的發展讓人類定居及人口增加，成為微生物 (細菌、病毒、真菌、寄生蟲) 繁殖的溫床，繼而引發致命的瘟疫。再隨著貿易、旅行與殖民，更助長傳染病的全球散播。本課程的目標是介紹疾病的特性及其致病機制，首先以對人類歷史造成劇烈衝擊的傳染病為例，討論發生的時代、傷亡的情形、防疫的措施、社會的影響等，藉以瞭解人類與微生物自古以來的長期戰鬥故事。邁入二十世紀後，抗生素及疫苗的發明逐漸使傳染病得到控制，人類的壽命亦增長一倍。但由於活動範圍的擴展及生態環境的變化等因素，「新興」傳染病，如愛滋病、禽流感、SARS、伊波拉病毒等卻不斷爆發。除此之外，長壽伴隨著基因突變的累積，使癌症大幅增加。而近幾十年以來，食物攝取不當及機械替代勞力等因素造成肥胖，引發血壓、血脂、血糖三高的代謝症候群，成為二十一世紀的首要疾病。本課程的另一目標則是引導同學以跨領域的角度，瞭解疾病隨著人類的生活方式與文明發展而相互影響。

[課程內涵]：
本課程以人類疾病為內涵，首先介紹人類歷史上細菌、病毒及原生生物導致的重大傳染病，這些疾病除了造成個人的病痛及死亡之外，自古以來，影響民族的盛衰、社會的枯榮與文明的起落。二十世紀以降，公共衛生觀念的進步、抗生素的發現及疫苗的使用逐漸控制了猖狂數千年的傳染病，但由於生態環境的變遷及物種疆界的模糊，世界各地又出現新興的傳染病，如愛滋病、SARS、禽流感，以及伊波拉病毒，造成巨大的傷亡及全球的恐慌，充分顯示人類與微生物的共同演化及持久不斷的競爭。課程的後半部分將介紹目前威脅人類健康最甚的癌症及心血管疾病。癌症是由自身的細胞突變而成，本質上與正常細胞的差別不如微生物與人體間的差異那麼大，所以在治療時的副作用頗大，使人們談癌色變。至於高血壓、高血脂、高血糖及肥胖則是現代人飲食不當、活動不足造成的代謝症候群，加之高齡化伴隨而來的老年失智，在在顯示疾病隨著文明的發展而改變。本課程希望以跨領域的方式，讓同學明瞭疾病與人如影隨形，實為生活與生命的一部份。自古以來，疾病對人類的社會、文化衝擊甚巨，希望能帶領同學回顧歷史，探究文明與疾病的關聯，如生活方式對疾病的影響、疾病對社會的衝擊、人們對疾病的誤解。而人類面臨疾病及死亡時的掙扎，將以《疾病的隱喻》及《瘟疫》兩本文學著作，剖析內心的挫折、偏見及恐懼。

[Course Objectives]:
As human civilization progresses, diseases also change. The development of agriculture and animal husbandry has led to human settlement and population increase, which has become a breeding ground for microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) to reproduce, which in turn triggers deadly plagues. Trade, travel, and colonization further contributed to the global spread of infectious diseases. The goal of this course is to introduce the characteristics of diseases and their pathogenic mechanisms. First, we take infectious diseases that have had a severe impact on human history as examples, and discuss the era of occurrence, casualties, epidemic prevention measures, social impact, etc., so as to understand the story of the long-term battle between humans and microorganisms since ancient times. After entering the 20th century, the invention of antibiotics and vaccines gradually brought infectious diseases under control, and human life span doubled. However, due to factors such as the expansion of the scope of activities and changes in the ecological environment, "emerging" infectious diseases, such as AIDS, avian influenza, SARS, Ebola, etc., continue to break out. In addition, longevity is accompanied by the accumulation of genetic mutations, which greatly increases cancer. In recent decades, factors such as improper food intake and replacement of labor by machines have caused obesity, causing metabolic syndrome with high blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar, becoming the leading disease in the 21st century. Another goal of this course is to guide students to understand from a cross-field perspective how diseases interact with human lifestyles and the development of civilization.

[Course content]:
This course takes human diseases as its connotation. It first introduces the major infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and protozoa in human history. In addition to causing personal illness and death, these diseases have also affected the rise and fall of nations, the prosperity of society and the rise and fall of civilizations since ancient times. Since the 20th century, advances in public health concepts, the discovery of antibiotics, and the use of vaccines have gradually controlled infectious diseases that have been rampant for thousands of years. However, due to changes in the ecological environment and the blurring of species boundaries, emerging infectious diseases have appeared in various parts of the world, such as AIDS, SARS, avian influenza, and Ebola viruses, causing huge casualties and global panic. This fully demonstrates the co-evolution and persistent competition between humans and microorganisms. The second half of the course will introduce cancer and cardiovascular diseases, which are currently the most serious threats to human health. Cancer is caused by the mutation of one's own cells. In essence, the difference from normal cells is not as great as the difference between microorganisms and the human body. Therefore, the side effects during treatment are quite large, which makes people talk about cancer. As for high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia and obesity, they are metabolic syndrome caused by improper diet and lack of activity in modern people. In addition, the senile dementia that comes with aging shows that diseases change with the development of civilization. This course hopes to use a cross-field approach to help students understand that diseases follow people closely and are actually a part of life. Since ancient times, diseases have had a huge impact on human society and culture. I hope to lead students to review history and explore the relationship between civilization and disease, such as the impact of lifestyle on disease, the impact of disease on society, and people's misunderstandings about disease. As for human beings' struggles in the face of illness and death, two literary works, "Metaphors of Disease" and "Plague", will be used to analyze inner frustrations, prejudices and fears.

1.《槍砲、病菌與鋼鐵》(Guns, Germs, and Steel), Jared Diamond 著，1997。王道還、廖月娟譯，時報文化，1998。
2.《人類與瘟疫的故事》張浚、趙少欽著，新視野圖書出版公司，2006。
3.《病毒的故事》徐明達著，天下雜誌股份有限公司，2003。
4.《細菌的世界》徐明達著，二魚文化事業有限公司，2012。
5.《最衰者生存》(Survival of the Sickest), Sharon Moalem 著，2007。陳芝儀譯，天下遠見出版股份有限公司，2007。
6. 《疾病解密》，科學人雜誌特刊，2013。
7.《瘟疫》(The Plague, 1947), Albert Camus著，1947。周行之譯，新潮文庫，1969。
8.《疾病的隱喻》(Illness as Metaphor), Susan Sontag著，1977。程巍譯，麥田出版，2012。

1. Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond, 1997. Translated by Wang Daohuan and Liao Yuejuan, Times Culture, 1998.
2. "The Story of Humanity and Plague" by Zhang Jun and Zhao Shaoqin, New Vision Books Publishing Company, 2006.
3. "The Story of the Virus" by Xu Mingda, Tianxia Magazine Co., Ltd., 2003.
4. "The World of Bacteria" by Xu Mingda, Eryu Culture Co., Ltd., 2012.
5. Survival of the Sickest, by Sharon Moalem, 2007. Translated by Chen Zhiyi, Tianxia Vision Publishing Co., Ltd., 2007.
6. "Disease Decrypted", Special Issue of Scientist Magazine, 2013.
7. The Plague (1947), by Albert Camus, 1947. Translated by Zhou Xingzhi, Xinchao Wenku, 1969.
8. "Illness as Metaphor", by Susan Sontag, 1977. Translated by Cheng Wei, Maitian Publishing House, 2012.