Not only is this book good, but there is a very good web site for it here: The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson.
It is a book of many subjects and many ideas conveyed along with a strong narrative. I’d highly recommend it, just for that.
The ideas are not idle, however: though set in 19th century London, I kept thinking about the listeria outbreak and the SARS epidemic the whole time I was reading it. I also thought of a recent comment by an expert on cancer who spoke of how our current approaches many not be right to deal with cancer. This reminded me of the experts in this book who struggle to deal with cholera without any of the ideas of disease that we have. Perhaps in 20 or more years, people will look back and see how we struggled with dealing with cancer. To them it will be a disease that is will be as straightforward to deal with, just like we deal with cholera.
If you get an opportunity, pick up the book. At the very least, check out the web site. Either way, you’ll get lots of good ideas that will get your thinking.
Smart People I Know 