In Epidemic Illusions, Eugene Richardson, a physician and anthropologist, contends that public health practices-from epidemiological modeling and outbreak containment to Big Data and causal inference-play an essential role in perpetuating a range of global inequities. Drawing on postcolonial theory, medical anthropology, and critical science studies, Richardson demonstrates the ways in which the flagship discipline of epidemiology has been shaped by the colonial, racist, and patriarchal system that had its inception in 1492.