In 1969, the U.S. Surgeon General

1969年在美国那还是抗生素的时代
had a premature surge of optimism

卫生局局长怀着一份
in the age of antibiotics and he declared,

过度乐观的态度并宣称他是这么说的
as he put it, "We've turned the page on infectious disease."

"我们对传染病已经翻开了里程碑式的一页"
And medical schools and the public health community

当时的医学院和公共卫生团体都教导大众
taught that it would be possible to eradicate

说所有的流行病都可以
one epidemic disease after another,

陆陆续续被彻底清除
like smallpox or polio as models.

例如天花和小儿麻痹症
But our Surgeon General turned out to be spectacularly wrong.

可结果证明我们的局长错得一塌糊涂
Today, in 2010, infectious diseases

在2010年的今天
are the number one cause of death worldwide.

传染病是全球范围内至死率最高的一种病
It's also clear that it will be impossible

事实证明要写完二十世纪和二十一世纪的病理史