Man and Microbes: Disease and Plagues in History and Modern Times


  • Lowest New Price: $3.98
  • Lowest Used Price: $1.26
  • Lowest Collectible Price: $9.88
  • Total New: 23
  • Total Used: 51
  • Total Collectible: 1
  • Total Refurbished: 0

    • Features:

    • ISBN13: 9780684822709
    • Condition: New
    • Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
    • Author : Arno Karlen
    • Binding : Paperback
    • Dewey Decimal Number : 614.409
    • EAN : 9780684822709
    • Edition : Touchstone ed
    • ISBN : 0684822709
    • Is Eligible For Trade In? : Yes
    • Label : Simon & Schuster
    • List Price : $14.00 (USD)
    • Manufacturer : Simon & Schuster
    • Number Of Items : 1
    • Number Of Pages : 272
    • Package Dimensions : 0.67 inches (Height) x 8.38 inches (Length) x 0.57 pounds (Weight) x 5.51 inches (Width)
    • Publication Date : 1996-05-22
    • Publisher : Simon & Schuster
    • Studio : Simon & Schuster

    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.

    - Amazon.com Review

    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.

    - Product Description

    Customer Reviews:

    Rated 4.5 stars Customers rated Man and Microbes: Disease and Plagues in History and Modern Times 4.5 stars out of 5.0 based on 19 reviews:

    • Fascinating history of human pandemics

      by B. McEwan (Brooklyn, NY USA) - 2010-07-17  Rated 5 stars
      This is an excellent short history of viruses and infectious diseases that attack humans. Author Arno Karlen writes lucidly and with an economy that makes this book an easy and pleasurable read for lay people who are "serious readers." A highlight is the attention that Karlen pays to the process through which humans and microbes have co-evolved since ancient times. He takes care to frame the issues in the broad context of evolution and the pressures that human behavior change and technology have placed on microbes' natural selection, rather than viewing disease as a black-and-white battle between "us" and "them." Also of note is the excellent bibliography. Karlen separates the bib into those works that are "core" to the subject and those that are supplemental reading, and he annotates the core selections to differentiate those that are primarily for scholars and those that are useful for the general reader. I found this book very interesting and helpful to my overall understanding of a fascinating subject.

    • Questionable facts and no citations

      by Corvidae (Pennsylvania) - 2010-05-09  Rated 1 stars
      In Chapter 1 alone... 1. Infected lumberjacks returning from South America brought yellow fever to their home cities. They would have had to bring the mosquitoes with them, since yellow fever is not transmitted from person to person. If that's what he meant, he should have said it. That's a pretty big detail. EDIT: From Wikipedia: "In South America, the sylvatic cycle is currently the only way humans can infect themselves, which explains the low incidence of yellow fever cases on this continent." If correct, would this be enough to cause the epidemics that hit the US cities? 2. "Butchering a kill could cause gangrene or tetanus." That could only be true if you cut yourself in the process. Again, if that's what he meant, he should have said it. You can't get gangrene or tetanus from eating a dead animal. 3. "It has even been suggested that viral epidemics resembling polio or meningitis left our arboreal ancestors to crippled to swing through the branches, and enough survivors squeaked out a marginal adaptation to the forest floor to launch a new species." I'm sorry, but that's sounds ridiculous. It COULD be true, but when saying something that bold he could at least use citations or mention who some of these mysterious researchers are. In Chapter 2... He mentions that tanning and smelting metals "invoked toxic materials that probably predisposed people to infectious diseases." Really? How so? Does the person become ill from poisoning, thus lowering their disease resistance? If that's what he meant, then that's what he should have said. All it would have taken was one extra line at most. I have to have faith that the facts I'm reading are correct and I no longer feel comfortable absorbing the information from this book, even if the errors were only made due to the lack of minor supporting details. He doesn't use any citations but lists a bibliography in the back with no indication of what came from where. And finally, I should mention that the author isn't an epidemiologist, a microbiologist, or any type of biologist at all. He's a psychoanalysis. Why a psychoanalysis wrote a microbiology book, I do not know. Maybe Richard Dawkins will take a crack at physics or Brian Greene will write a book on genetics.

    • Of interest to non-specialists

      by D. Mccracken (Richwood, OH United States) - 2009-12-25  Rated 5 stars
      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

      by MGH of Kodiak - 2008-04-19  Rated 5 stars
      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

      by T. Gale - 2007-05-12  Rated 4 stars
      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.

    Your Opinion Counts:

    Copyright © 1999-2010 Data Growth Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.
    Privacy Policy | Terms of Use |