Deadly Companions : How microbes shaped our history
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Review
Admirably clear and engaging. (BBC History )
PD Smith, The Guardian, December 8, 2007
'Fascinating... Deadly Companions is authoritative, detailed and - despite its gruesome subject - never sensational.'
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Professor Crawford presents us with a very readable introduction to infectious diseases and how they have influenced human history and development. The book begins with a brief description of bacterial evolution and how they evolved to infect animals, including humans. We learn that the beginning of agriculture enabled cross-species transfer from livestock to humans, and that many common infectious diseases share a common ancestor with animal infectious agents. This is true, for example of the SARS (Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus, whose natural host is the Civot cat. There is a very brief but helpful introduction to epidemiological modelling. I would have liked at bit more detail on this, but it's not a major problem.
Parasites are given a good mention. The various types of Malaria species are discussed, and their interaction with humans across the generations are mentioned. I was fascinated by the section on the Schistosome fluke. The causative agent of sleeping sickness, Trypanosoma Brucei Brucei, is included.
The great plagues of history (Anthens, Antonine, Justinian, Black Death and the Renaissance plauge) are given a good mention. A discussion of whether the Black Death was caused by Yersinia Pestis was present, although I though this could have been done in greater depth.
A good thing was the inclusion of the Irish Potato Famine, and thus the point was well made that non-human infectious agents can have a devastating effect on humans. This illustrated the point that all organisms on the Earth are in a delicate balance, which is something that must be considered when planning for future societies etc.
The book ends with chapters on how infections can be treated and problems that have arisen with respect to antibiotic resistance. Possible novel solutions to this arising from genomic analysis are briefly mentioned.
This books presents a brief but valuable introduction to infectious diseases.
Parasites are given a good mention. The various types of Malaria species are discussed, and their interaction with humans across the generations are mentioned. I was fascinated by the section on the Schistosome fluke. The causative agent of sleeping sickness, Trypanosoma Brucei Brucei, is included.
The great plagues of history (Anthens, Antonine, Justinian, Black Death and the Renaissance plauge) are given a good mention. A discussion of whether the Black Death was caused by Yersinia Pestis was present, although I though this could have been done in greater depth.
A good thing was the inclusion of the Irish Potato Famine, and thus the point was well made that non-human infectious agents can have a devastating effect on humans. This illustrated the point that all organisms on the Earth are in a delicate balance, which is something that must be considered when planning for future societies etc.
The book ends with chapters on how infections can be treated and problems that have arisen with respect to antibiotic resistance. Possible novel solutions to this arising from genomic analysis are briefly mentioned.
This books presents a brief but valuable introduction to infectious diseases.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This would be an excellent work were it not for the careless historical errors.Prof Crawford seems to think for example that the little ice age began in 1450 and that British rule in India ended in 2007.It would be tedious to list all the mistakes,so just take page 79 where the author mixes up Justinian & Constantine and apparently thinks that the western Roman Empire still existed in the former' s time.Was this book checked by a historian at all ? The poor grasp of elementary historial fact is a great pity,otherwise this book would deserve high marks
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
History is full of fascinating stories of how infectious diseases have impacted upon the course of human history. Some of these stories are relatively small ones, like the appalling effect of poor sanitation on the lives of the poor in sprawling urban societies. Other stories have epic sweep:the Black Death, or the devastating introduction of Old World diseases to the New World.
Sadly, the author of this book couldn't tell a good story to save her life. She is extremely well-informed, very good at explaining the microbiology of the illnesses she describes, and if you read this book you will be a better educated person. But that simplicity of expression comes at a price. The written style is flat, there is no sense of narrative, no story-telling, and some gripping stories pass by with all the excitement of an auditor's report. The overall effect is of a university lecturer trying very hard to make a dull subject interesting; in doing so this book almost succeeds in making a fascinating subject dull.
It may be a matter of taste: here is a scientist writing about history. Perhaps I would have preferred to read a book written by a historian about science.
But it's interesting enough. I don't regret having bought it. And I'm now *much* better informed about Yersina Pestis.
Sadly, the author of this book couldn't tell a good story to save her life. She is extremely well-informed, very good at explaining the microbiology of the illnesses she describes, and if you read this book you will be a better educated person. But that simplicity of expression comes at a price. The written style is flat, there is no sense of narrative, no story-telling, and some gripping stories pass by with all the excitement of an auditor's report. The overall effect is of a university lecturer trying very hard to make a dull subject interesting; in doing so this book almost succeeds in making a fascinating subject dull.
It may be a matter of taste: here is a scientist writing about history. Perhaps I would have preferred to read a book written by a historian about science.
But it's interesting enough. I don't regret having bought it. And I'm now *much* better informed about Yersina Pestis.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
How germs made our history
An interesting mixture of cultural history of humanity and how it was affected by microbes and plagues. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2009 by Tammam Aloudat
Scholarly, interesting, well-written and alarming
The author is a professor of microbiology who has written an excellent book for the lay-person interested in the struggle between microbes and humans. Read more
Published on 23 Jan 2008 by Bluebell
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