The late Paula Stamps Duston was Professor Emeritus and Graduate Program Director, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts/Amherst, USA. She had 20 years' experience of teaching and working with students, doctors, nurses, public health and public safety professionals to increase their understanding of bioterrorism and the emergency preparedness system. She was author of five single-authored books, including Analyzing Form, Function and Financing of the US Health Care System (2016). She passed away in 2024.

Part I: Setting The Context

Chapter 1 Should We Be Worried?

Chapter 2: Using Nature to Build A Weapon

Chapter 3 Science, Society and Safety

Part II: What Can We Learn From the Past?

Chapter 4: Scientists, Culture, and Ideology

Chapter 5: From the Lab to the Battlefield-and Beyond

Part III: Select Agents: Yesterday and Today

Chapter 6 Keeping Track of Risky Pathogens

Chapter 7 Most Common: Anthrax

Chapter 8 The Most Feared: Smallpox

Chapter 9 Threats From Other Select Agents

Part IV: Bioterrorism Comes to the U.S.

Chapter 10 Anthrax Spores in the US Postal System

Part V: What We have -- and What We Need

Chapter 11 New Policies Reflect Changing Risk Assessment

Chapter 12 From Policy to Implementation: The Biological Emergency Response System

Chapter 13 How Are We Doing? Dimensions of this Wicked Problem

Chapter 14 Solving the Puzzle: A Comprehensive Biosecurity System