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Introduction

The Demon in the Freezer (2002), subtitled A True Story, is a non-fiction book on the biological weapons (BW) agents smallpox and anthrax and how the American government develops defensive measures against them. It was written by journalist Richard Preston, also author of the best-selling book The Hot Zone (1994), about outbreaks of Ebola virus in Africa and Reston, Virginia and the US government's response to them.

The book is primarily an account of the Smallpox Eradication Program (1967-80), the ongoing perception by the U.S. government that smallpox is still a potential bioterrorism agent, and the controversy over whether or not the remaining samples of smallpox virus in Atlanta and Moscow (the “demon” in the freezer) should be finally destroyed. The writer was overtaken by events — the 9/11 attacks and the anthrax letter incidents (called "Amerithrax"), both in 2001 — and Preston was not met with positive reviews. Critics have said the book interweaves the anthrax investigation with the smallpox material in an awkward ^[1] and somewhat disjointed ^[2][3] manner.