eg ard ▁and ▁P ord eli ▁et ▁al . ▁acknow ledge ▁the ▁figures ▁suggested ▁by ▁Maj d . ▁ ▁Several ▁sch ol ars ▁have ▁disput ed ▁Maj d ' s ▁account . ▁ ▁Er v and ▁Abraham ian ▁comments ▁that ▁the ▁book ▁includes ▁an ▁" ex agger ated ▁discussion " ▁of ▁losses ▁during ▁the ▁fam ine , ▁a ▁view ▁he ▁shares ▁with ▁Mah m ood ▁Mess kou b , ▁Abb as ▁Mil ani ▁and ▁R udi ▁Matt he e . ▁Abraham ian ▁describes ▁calling ▁the ▁fam ine ▁a ▁gen o cide ▁as ▁" w ild ▁accus ation " ▁and ▁attributes ▁the ▁vast ▁majority ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 ▁million ▁death s ▁he ▁estimates ▁to ▁ch ol era ▁and ▁ty ph us ▁ep ide m ics , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁mostly ▁world wide ▁influen za ▁pan demic . ▁While ▁accepting ▁that ▁the ▁total ▁death ▁to ll ▁could ▁be ▁several ▁millions , ▁H orm oz ▁E bra him nej ad ▁says ▁Maj d ' s ▁figure ▁is ▁an ▁over est imation . ▁ ▁C orm ac ▁Ó ▁Gr á da , ▁discuss ing ▁ver ification ▁of ▁death ▁to ll ▁of ▁historic ▁fam ines , ▁c ites ▁it ▁as ▁an ▁example ▁of ▁" liter ally ▁claims " ▁that ▁cannot ▁be ▁authentic ated ▁without ▁good ▁cause , ▁yet ▁r het or ic ▁and ▁signal ing ▁a ▁major ▁dis aster . ▁A ▁similar ▁view ▁is ▁expressed ▁by ▁Al idad ▁M af ine z am ▁and ▁A ria ▁Me h rab i , ▁who ▁state ▁that ▁Maj d ' s