An outgrowth of a four-year study by Paillard and his research team, this volume describes the societal impact of a full-force epidemic on a large, diversified Mediterranean seaport city. In addition to his straightforward, empirical reports presented elsewhere, the author has here chosen to present a reflexive, qualitative study in narrative form, portraying the sociologist as participant-observer, and providing the reader with a pioneering study on problem formation and moral panic. For this first English edition, Paillard has added an appendix on methodology.