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Pandemics: What Everyone Needs to Know
Pandemics. The word conjures up images of horrific diseases sweeping the globe and killing everyone in their path. But such highly lethal illnesses almost never create pandemics. The reality is deadly serious but far more subtle.
In Pandemics: What Everyone Needs to Know�, Peter Doherty, who won the Nobel Prize for his work on how the immune system recognizes virus-infected cells, offers an essential guide to one of the truly life-or-death issues of our age. In concise, question-and-answer format, he explains the causes of pandemics, how they can be counteracted with vaccines and drugs, and how we can better prepare for them in the future. Doherty notes that the term "pandemic" refers not to a disease's severity but to its ability to spread rapidly over a wide geographical area. Extremely lethal pathogens are usually quickly identified and confined. Nevertheless, the rise of high-speed transportation networks and the globalization of trade and travel have radically accelerated the spread of diseases. A traveler from Africa arrived in New York in 1999 carrying the West Nile virus; one mosquito bite later, it was loose in the ecosystem. Doherty explains how the main threat of a pandemic comes from respiratory viruses, such as influenza and SARS, which disseminate with incredible speed through air travel. The climate disruptions of global warming, rising population density, and growing antibiotic resistance all complicate efforts to control pandemics. But Doherty stresses that pandemics can be fought effectively. Often simple health practices, especially in hospitals, can help enormously. And research into the animal reservoirs of pathogens, from SARS in bats to HIV in chimpanzees, show promise for our prevention efforts.
Calm, clear, and authoritative, Peter Doherty's Pandemics is one of the most critically important additions to the What Everyone Needs to Know� series.
What Everyone Needs to Know� is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.
In Pandemics: What Everyone Needs to Know�, Peter Doherty, who won the Nobel Prize for his work on how the immune system recognizes virus-infected cells, offers an essential guide to one of the truly life-or-death issues of our age. In concise, question-and-answer format, he explains the causes of pandemics, how they can be counteracted with vaccines and drugs, and how we can better prepare for them in the future. Doherty notes that the term "pandemic" refers not to a disease's severity but to its ability to spread rapidly over a wide geographical area. Extremely lethal pathogens are usually quickly identified and confined. Nevertheless, the rise of high-speed transportation networks and the globalization of trade and travel have radically accelerated the spread of diseases. A traveler from Africa arrived in New York in 1999 carrying the West Nile virus; one mosquito bite later, it was loose in the ecosystem. Doherty explains how the main threat of a pandemic comes from respiratory viruses, such as influenza and SARS, which disseminate with incredible speed through air travel. The climate disruptions of global warming, rising population density, and growing antibiotic resistance all complicate efforts to control pandemics. But Doherty stresses that pandemics can be fought effectively. Often simple health practices, especially in hospitals, can help enormously. And research into the animal reservoirs of pathogens, from SARS in bats to HIV in chimpanzees, show promise for our prevention efforts.
Calm, clear, and authoritative, Peter Doherty's Pandemics is one of the most critically important additions to the What Everyone Needs to Know� series.
What Everyone Needs to Know� is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2012
26 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Peter C. Doherty
14 books16 followersPeter Charles Doherty is an Australian veterinary surgeon, immunologist, Nobel laureate and researcher in the field of medicine.
He received the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1995, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with Rolf M. Zinkernagel in 1996 and was named Australian of the Year in 1997. In the Australia Day Honours of 1997, he was named a Companion of the Order of Australia for his work with Zinkernagel (Zinkernagel was named an honorary Companion). He is also a National Trust Australian Living Treasure.
Doherty's research focuses on the immune system and his Nobel work described how the body's immune cells protect against viruses. He and Rolf Zinkernagel, the co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, discovered how T cells recognize their target antigens in combination with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins.
Doherty was born in Brisbane, Queensland, where he attended Indooroopilly State High School. He received his bachelor's degree in veterinary science in 1962 and his master's degree in veterinary science in 1966 from the University of Queensland. After obtaining his PhD in 1970 from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, he returned to Australia to perform his Nobel Prize-winning research at the John Curtin School of Medical Research in Canberra.
Doherty currently spends three months of the year conducting research at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where he is a faculty member at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center through the College of Medicine. For the other 9 months of the year he works in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne, Victoria. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1987.
John Monash Science School has a house named after him.
He received the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1995, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with Rolf M. Zinkernagel in 1996 and was named Australian of the Year in 1997. In the Australia Day Honours of 1997, he was named a Companion of the Order of Australia for his work with Zinkernagel (Zinkernagel was named an honorary Companion). He is also a National Trust Australian Living Treasure.
Doherty's research focuses on the immune system and his Nobel work described how the body's immune cells protect against viruses. He and Rolf Zinkernagel, the co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, discovered how T cells recognize their target antigens in combination with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins.
Doherty was born in Brisbane, Queensland, where he attended Indooroopilly State High School. He received his bachelor's degree in veterinary science in 1962 and his master's degree in veterinary science in 1966 from the University of Queensland. After obtaining his PhD in 1970 from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, he returned to Australia to perform his Nobel Prize-winning research at the John Curtin School of Medical Research in Canberra.
Doherty currently spends three months of the year conducting research at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where he is a faculty member at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center through the College of Medicine. For the other 9 months of the year he works in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne, Victoria. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1987.
John Monash Science School has a house named after him.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 11, 2020
This is a hard book to read, but not because the writing is difficult. Peter Doherty is a Nobel Laureate (Physiology or Medicine, 1996) and one of the world's leading authorities on Immunology, but he writes he writes for the Layman to understand and does so with Verve and humor ( what other author tells you to skim over the boring Parts in his own book?). What makes this book difficult to read is doing so in the midst of the current pandemic. I found myself checking three or four times to confirm that the book was in fact published in 2013, and not last week. He describes with startling accuracy everything in the world is currently experiencing, proving that it was predictable. If you want to truly understand what is going on from the scientific angle, this is an excellent book to help you with that. It will not help you sleep any better though.
May 4, 2020
Un libro completísimo sobre el terriblemente actual tema de las pandemias. Quizás escucharlo en formato de audiolibro no es la mejor idea porque aunque el libro es muy didáctico, la cantidad de conceptos y términos técnicos puede ser algo abrumadora, y probablemente el libro se aproveche mejor leyendolo en formato escrito, donde puedes detenerte y volver atrás con mayor facilidad.
Lo que más me ha impresionado de la lectura del libro, que aunque no es en absoluto alarmista, es claro ante los peligros potenciales de las pandemias, es que aunque el libro está escrito, obviamente, antes de la llegada del Covid-19, hay una abrumadora cantidad de aspectos en los que la ciencia había predicho ya que una situación como la que vivimos podía suceder en cualquier momento, y que impacto podía llegar a tener. Ojala como sociedad, como planeta, aprendamos de esto, y aprendamos a respetar a la ciencia como se merece. Porque puede ser nuestra última esperanza para prevenir catástrofes iguales o peores de la que estamos viviendo.
Lo que más me ha impresionado de la lectura del libro, que aunque no es en absoluto alarmista, es claro ante los peligros potenciales de las pandemias, es que aunque el libro está escrito, obviamente, antes de la llegada del Covid-19, hay una abrumadora cantidad de aspectos en los que la ciencia había predicho ya que una situación como la que vivimos podía suceder en cualquier momento, y que impacto podía llegar a tener. Ojala como sociedad, como planeta, aprendamos de esto, y aprendamos a respetar a la ciencia como se merece. Porque puede ser nuestra última esperanza para prevenir catástrofes iguales o peores de la que estamos viviendo.
March 30, 2020
Had been sitting on the shelf for a few years, felt like an appropriate time to read it. Written at an easy to read level, but about fairly complex topics. Also amusingly outlined almost all of this nonsense and the globes response to it. Recommended!
May 7, 2020
Decidí leer Pandemias en el marco de la cuarentena obligatoria por una pandemia, y no me arrepiento. Además de ser una lectura disfrutable y hasta me atrevería a decir adictiva, logra explicar cosas complejas de una manera simple y amena, facilitando la comprensión de situaciones indudablemente complejas a la población general, sin conocimiento médico. Es una lectura más que recomendable, especialmente en momentos como este, en los cuales es muy fácil ceder ante el pesimismo y la desinformación.
March 6, 2022
An Oxford University Press publication, I was able to order it from Blackwell's in England (highly recommended). Peter Doherty is a Nobel prize winning scientist who was honored for his discovery of how the immune system recognizes virus-infected cells. This book was published in 2013, well before COVID, but it provides pretty much all the layperson needs to know to understand our current pandemic, including why vaccines are both safe and essential, why social distancing is necessary, and why listening to experts is preferable to following the advice of conspiracy theorists and other dangerous idiots. While seeking to inform a general audience, Doherty doesn't pull any punches where scientific language is concerned. And that's helpful. One gets the gist while also realizing that this is rocket science, very difficult stuff, that people spend decades studying so that they can guide those of us who haven't invested a similar amount of time in learning the science. If Doherty emphasizes anything, it's to only pay attention to evidence-based guidance. That way you will be safer, less fearful, and more responsible to your community.
The format is question and answer, which makes reading the book quite breezy, despite the technical language. Doherty is a good writer, sometimes funny, often providing historical anecdotes, or explaining scientific principles and mentioning those who uncovered them, including other Nobel Prize winners like himself. He covers a wide range of topics including the various influenzas, SARS, Hep C, anthrax, swine flu, mad cow disease, HIV-AIDS, measles, small pox, etc. I wish I could share this book with all the COVID deniers and the anti-vexers out there who are doing untold damage to themselves and others because they don't know and/or trust the science.
The format is question and answer, which makes reading the book quite breezy, despite the technical language. Doherty is a good writer, sometimes funny, often providing historical anecdotes, or explaining scientific principles and mentioning those who uncovered them, including other Nobel Prize winners like himself. He covers a wide range of topics including the various influenzas, SARS, Hep C, anthrax, swine flu, mad cow disease, HIV-AIDS, measles, small pox, etc. I wish I could share this book with all the COVID deniers and the anti-vexers out there who are doing untold damage to themselves and others because they don't know and/or trust the science.
December 22, 2022
This book covers the current virus emergency situation and is directed at laymen.
It covers not just pandemics but everything that's related, including even use of germ warfare by terrorists. Everything is covered in an organized Question & Answer format, where the author generates the questions and uses them to organize the material, so you could dip into the book via the table of contents and read only the pages most relevant to your issue. (The net is the book looks rather like an extended version of the old-fashioned FAQ.)
Everything covered is of current interest; in other words there's very little historical perspective or context. In my experience this is pretty typical.
Interestingly: Right up front the author says the field is full of jargon and he's aware of it and will try his best to avoid having the book be an impenetrable word salad. But despite his efforts there are so many specialized and unfamiliar words that it's sometimes hard for a layman to tease out the meaning. This seems to be a common problem - that the world of virology is so specialized and isolated that it's difficult to communicate with laymen.
I like to compare this book to the other books on pandemics that I've read. It's much more thorough and complete than many. On the other hand I once again have my (unfortunately) typical "can't see the forest for the trees" reaction. As described in this and other books, specialists in the field are so focused on a] monitoring of animal viruses that might jump to humans and b] stamping out epidemics before they become pandemics that nobody is looking at what I consider other interesting questions, such as whether more human travel (both how many people and how fast) has made human viruses less or more virulent (or had no significant effect). I'm still searching for that broader perspective.
It covers not just pandemics but everything that's related, including even use of germ warfare by terrorists. Everything is covered in an organized Question & Answer format, where the author generates the questions and uses them to organize the material, so you could dip into the book via the table of contents and read only the pages most relevant to your issue. (The net is the book looks rather like an extended version of the old-fashioned FAQ.)
Everything covered is of current interest; in other words there's very little historical perspective or context. In my experience this is pretty typical.
Interestingly: Right up front the author says the field is full of jargon and he's aware of it and will try his best to avoid having the book be an impenetrable word salad. But despite his efforts there are so many specialized and unfamiliar words that it's sometimes hard for a layman to tease out the meaning. This seems to be a common problem - that the world of virology is so specialized and isolated that it's difficult to communicate with laymen.
I like to compare this book to the other books on pandemics that I've read. It's much more thorough and complete than many. On the other hand I once again have my (unfortunately) typical "can't see the forest for the trees" reaction. As described in this and other books, specialists in the field are so focused on a] monitoring of animal viruses that might jump to humans and b] stamping out epidemics before they become pandemics that nobody is looking at what I consider other interesting questions, such as whether more human travel (both how many people and how fast) has made human viruses less or more virulent (or had no significant effect). I'm still searching for that broader perspective.
April 15, 2020
Complejo todo lo que conlleva la aparición de una pandemia. Las crisis sacan a relucir lo peor y lo mejor de los seres humanos... más fuerte aún la aseveración del autor: "El precio de la libertad es la vigilancia completa". Tal vez por eso los países asiáticos han "controlado" mejor esta catástrofe actual. En general, bastante preocupante.
May 1, 2020
A raíz de la actual pandemia me di la oportunidad de consumirlo y aunque hay muchas cosas que no entiendo por más fácil que lo explique el autor, sí que hay muchos datos históricos que te hacen reflexionar acerca de nuestros hábitos de higiene, alimentación y convivencia con animales. Recomendado para informarse.
April 25, 2021
Pretty helpful for understanding pandemics. Incredibly in depth, but a little dry for my tastes.
June 12, 2013
I received this as an electronic advanced reading copy from the publishers via NetGalley. Still a few months until the book is released and there may be changes to it until then. I plan on having a full review of it up on ASM's Small Things Considered blog at the start of September to coincide with its release.
Nobel Prize winning immunologist and veterinary surgeon Doherty writes a comprehensive and succinct review of things involving disease pandemics: what pandemics are, which have occurred, which may likely occur, and what governments and individuals are doing/can do to combat them. To form a foundation for the reader Doherty first gives a quick primer on molecular biology, viruses/bacteria, and immunology basics. He then delves into discussing the major pandemic threat of influenza before moving onto others, like HIV.
What impressed me about this volume is that it is written in a particularly laid-back fashion - almost stream-of-consciousness at points, obviously geared towards the layman with only a bit of background in microbiology. As part of Oxford University Press' "What Everyone Needs to Know" series the book is organized as a series of question/answers to apparently aid in the comfort of this being a book for the general audience.
The downsides to the book stem from this organization, I think. Many of the questions posed are quite simple, like asking what the difference is between a virus and a bacteria. But the 'answer' portion goes far beyond addressing that - into myriad other topics not directly related. It therefore ends up feeling like one is reading something from a political debate, where the question is used to spring off into whatever topic or aside seems to come to mind. This ends up making portions of the book - particularly the first chapters appear rather unorganized to me.
In a few spots the scientific detail or issues raised appear to go beyond what I would deem really necessary (such as the PCR descriptions), but this was a rare occurrence. The densest scientific details can be lost on some readers without the overall important messages of the book getting lost. In the end if you are unfamiliar with what pandemics are, if you can't explain what immunizations are and why we should get them, if you don't know what the differences are between viruses and bacteria (and their treatments), then you should read this and learn some really essential information that is not only important for yourself but could be important for your responsibility in sharing this planet with other humans.
Nobel Prize winning immunologist and veterinary surgeon Doherty writes a comprehensive and succinct review of things involving disease pandemics: what pandemics are, which have occurred, which may likely occur, and what governments and individuals are doing/can do to combat them. To form a foundation for the reader Doherty first gives a quick primer on molecular biology, viruses/bacteria, and immunology basics. He then delves into discussing the major pandemic threat of influenza before moving onto others, like HIV.
What impressed me about this volume is that it is written in a particularly laid-back fashion - almost stream-of-consciousness at points, obviously geared towards the layman with only a bit of background in microbiology. As part of Oxford University Press' "What Everyone Needs to Know" series the book is organized as a series of question/answers to apparently aid in the comfort of this being a book for the general audience.
The downsides to the book stem from this organization, I think. Many of the questions posed are quite simple, like asking what the difference is between a virus and a bacteria. But the 'answer' portion goes far beyond addressing that - into myriad other topics not directly related. It therefore ends up feeling like one is reading something from a political debate, where the question is used to spring off into whatever topic or aside seems to come to mind. This ends up making portions of the book - particularly the first chapters appear rather unorganized to me.
In a few spots the scientific detail or issues raised appear to go beyond what I would deem really necessary (such as the PCR descriptions), but this was a rare occurrence. The densest scientific details can be lost on some readers without the overall important messages of the book getting lost. In the end if you are unfamiliar with what pandemics are, if you can't explain what immunizations are and why we should get them, if you don't know what the differences are between viruses and bacteria (and their treatments), then you should read this and learn some really essential information that is not only important for yourself but could be important for your responsibility in sharing this planet with other humans.
March 26, 2015
I picked this book because the author Dr. Doherty is a great immunologist with a Nobel prize in physiology or medicine 1996. He works in the same institution I work in. Generally, the book is a nice overview of many pathogen with emphasis on possible pandemic threats. The book targets broad readers with no strong backgrounds neither in microbiology nor in immunology with minimal jargons and adequate explanations of used terminology. For those with advanced knowledge in microbiology, the book is still a good review. I liked particularly the elegant transition from a pathogen/disease to another.
October 23, 2020
Libro claro e informativo sobre nuestra historia con las pandemias. En estos tiempos es una lectura acertada para entender un poco a que nos enfrentamos. Para gente educada en ciencias de la salud tal vez sea algo básico. Pero como libro de comunicación y divulgación de ciencias es muy bueno. Recomendado
June 2, 2020
El libro es bueno pero está super cargado de información. Sinceramente me costó trabajo seguir el hilo de la narrativa. Eso sí, al final me quedó claro que lo que pasó con el Covid19 era cuestión de tiempo. Lo recomiendo mucho sobre todo ahora con lo que estamos pasando con el nuevo coronavitus.
September 21, 2014
This book was interesting and informative. I learnt a lot. However, it would have benefited from some time with a good editor in order to improve the clarity of the writing. Ditto re structure.
Read
December 16, 2015not very interesting nor helpful.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews