|
Man and Microbes: Disease and Plagues in History and Modern Times |  | Author: Arno Karlen
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy Used: $2.35
as of 3/19/2010 18:39 CDT details
You Save: $11.65 (83%)
New (18) Used (35) Collectible (2) from $2.35
Rating:  17 reviews
Media: Paperback
Edition: Touchstone ed
Pages: 272
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7
ISBN: 0684822709
Dewey Decimal Number: 614.409
EAN: 9780684822709
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9780684822709 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Whereas many popular books on microbes focus on contemporary pathogens and emerging epidemics, Arno Karlen's Man and Microbes provides a historical look at the coevolution of humans and microorganisms. Karlen speculates that infections are integral to the process of life itself, that the mitochondria in every animal cell, for instance, are likely descendants of infectious agents. He then traces the development of man from primitive hunter-gatherer to urban dweller to world traveler, pointedly analyzing how socio-ecological changes have contributed to the changing incidence of disease. With amazing detail, Karlen describes the origins of historical plagues (smallpox, cholera, influenza, polio, and others) as well as the emergence of scourges such as hemorrhagic fever (Ebola and its cousins), Lyme disease, Legionnaires' disease, and even the deep mysteries of retroviruses such as HIV.
Product Description
A noted medical historian places recent outbreaks of deadly diseases in historical perspective, with accounts of other alarming and recurring diseases throughout history and of the ways in which humans have adapted. Reprint. 17,500 first printing.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 17
 Of interest to non-specialists December 25, 2009
D. Mccracken (Richwood, OH United States)
Though somewhat dated in 2009, book remains of historical interest to non-specialist such as myself. Karlen's writing style is captivating - a great deal of research went into the book, yet subject is covered in easy to understand language for the layman. For more depth on recent diseases I would recommend "THE COMING PLAGUE" by Laurie Garrett. For additional subject historical context readers may find "KILLER GERMS" by Pete Moore of interest.
Man and Microbes review April 19, 2008
MGH of Kodiak
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I enjoyed reading this book. It was well written. The author made it so interesting and educational that even if there are no colored pictures in it on every page, I still read the whole thing without getting bored.
I know it was written in 1995 thus some of the information is somewhat outdated, but the historical content is still the same. Much of it's value is historical documentation of the great plagues of the world through the centuries.
I highly recommend this book as a reference for folks who are taking Microbiology classes.
MGH from Kodiak
 Recommended Read May 12, 2007
T. Gale
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Karlen's "Man and Microbes" is a good read, especially for the novice biology reader. I think everyone interested in the subjects of microbiology, medical history, and evolutionary history would enjoy this book but be aware that you will not get very specific scientific detail, rather a broad overview of history. All around worth the time though.
fascinating, educational, and alarming June 15, 2006
Sammy Madison (USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
"Man and Microbes" is a good title for this book. Over time, man's relationship with microbes has changed as human populations have grown, moved, changed from hunter-gatherer to agricultural life and then city life, and exploration and colonization exposed groups of humans to new environments. As new land is cleared for farming, humans stir up microbes that had previously interacted with other species, such as mice or monkeys. Having never been exposed to a given microbe before, man has not developed any tolerance and the severity of the disease is harsh. Every new human population a disease encounters has to go though this introduction, before the effects become less severe. This is why native American populations were decimated when Europeans came to their continents. The microbes themselves also change over time, becoming more powerful, less powerful, or retreating to their original animal hosts. Since this book attempts to span the history of mankind and our interaction with microbes, there is less detail about specific diseases or time periods than a reader might like. I know I was still left wondering about the specifics of polio after reading the book. But I do feel that I have gained much more insight into disease and how it has affected our history. When we developed vaccines and antibiotics we thought that we had defeated the diseases which had killed so many humans, but the microbes continued to change, just as always, adapting to our new defenses. Human populations continued to grow, expanding to previously unpopulated territory, exposing people already vulnerable though poor diet and hygene to unfamiliar microbes. My view of our war against disease has definitely changed through reading this book.
Great Intro, But Lacking in the Details - January 27, 2005
L. Berk (Praha, CR)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
First and foremost, this book is an oustanding, fantastic introduction to the world of infectious diseases. Because of two factors, however, much informatoin is lost. Firstly, the book is rather short - hardly three hundred pages. Secondly, there are thousands of years to cover in such a volume. As a result, the reader is left with a superficial - albeit insightful - look at the history of diseases throughout history.
Karlen attempts - and succeeds, as best as expected - to do three things in this book. He begins by discussing the disease, or outbreak, at hand. Syphilis, tuberculosis, legionnaire's, marberg, ebola are all covered - en brief. Then, he goes on to elaborate on the social climate of the time, to set a context for the reader. He then discusses the impact that these diseases had on thepopulace.
As a personal fiend of specific, explicit writings on the physiological results of diseases, I was somewhat disappointed: AIDs is hardly discussed, and the physical descriptions and onsets are scant, if existant. However, Karlen's adept critical thinking - he analyzes the social impact, etc of each outbreak - makes this book worthwhile.
Overall, a good introduction. I kept notes through this book on topics that I was interested in exploring further, and was not disappointed.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 17
|
|
|
|
| |
