Allens narrative is set in eastern europe just before and during the second world war the subject is typhus and 2 microbiologists who were engaged frenetically in producing vaccines against it the lives of the microbiologists rudolf weigl a german zoologist and ludwig fleck a jewish physician intersected in lwow eastern poland. The fantastic laboratory of dr weigl how two brave scientists battled typhus and sabotaged the nazis allen arthur on amazoncom free shipping on qualifying offers the fantastic laboratory of dr weigl how two brave scientists battled typhus and sabotaged the nazis. The fantastic laboratory of dr weigl how two brave scientists battled typhus and sabotaged the nazis book review november 2015 emerging infectious diseases 2111. The two scientists rudolf stefan weigl and ludwik fleck were genuine researchers and their passion was figuring out how typhus was spread what caused the disease and what could cure it and if a vaccine could be invented to prevent it. Rudolf weigl who in the 1930s developed the first true vaccine against typhus was put to work by the nazis producing the vaccine and conducting research to improve it ludwik fleck a jewish assistant to weigl was forced to conduct similar work for the nazis from within the concentration camp system