Epitaphs for the Living was written by Billy Howard, and was published by Southern Methodist University Press in 1989, which are mostly portraits and depict persons infected with AIDS, which was first recognized in the early 1970s, and in 1983 the HIV virus was discovered and identified as the cause of AIDS, and by 2009 AIDS caused nearly 30 million deaths.
AIDS was first recognized in 1981, in 1983 the HIV virus was discovered and identified as the cause of AIDS, and by 2009 AIDS caused nearly 30 million deaths. 
Since the first case of HIV/AIDS reported in 1981, this virus although rare; it continues to be one of the most prevalent and deadliest pandemics worldwide. 
