One of two books to make me wail “we don’t deserve dogs”, this one is about the frantic effort to get diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, Alaska in January, 1925.

Diphtheria is an extremely contagious childhood disease that is often fatal if untreated. In 1925, the only treatment was antitoxin, and Nome’s stocks were small and mostly expired. Nome, unfortunately, is in buttfuck nowhere, Alaska, and in the winter is accessible by a) plane or b) dogsled.

Then it dropped so cold they couldn’t start the planes.

The antitoxin had to be loaded onto dogsleds and taken 674 miles in 6 days in record low temperatures. The antitoxin was still viable when it arrived and was the reason the diphtheria outbreak didn’t kill more.

The book was well written and easy to read, also vaccinate your fucking kids please, this is not a joke.