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Catching Breath: The Making and Unmaking of Tuberculosis
With more than a million victims every year--more than any other disease, including malaria--and antibiotic resistance now found in every country worldwide, tuberculosis is once again proving itself to be one of the smartest killers that humanity has ever faced. But it’s hardly surprising considering how long it’s had to hone its skills. Forty-thousand years ago, our ancestors set off from the cradle of civilization on their journey towards populating the planet. Tuberculosis hitched a lift and came with us, and it’s been there ever since; waiting, watching, and learning.
The organism responsible, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has had plenty of time to adapt to its chosen habitat--human lungs--and has learned through natural selection to be an almost perfect pathogen. Using our own immune cells as a Trojan Horse to aid its spread, it’s come up with clever ways to avoid being killed by antibiotics. But patience has been its biggest lesson--it can enter into a latent state when times are tough, only to come back to life when a host’s immune system is compromised. Today, more than one million people die of the disease every year and around one-third of the world’s population are believed to be infected. That’s more than two billion people. Throw in the compounding problems of drug resistance, the HIV epidemic, and poverty, and it’s clear that tuberculosis remains one of the most serious problems in world medicine.
Catching Breath follows the history of TB through the ages, from its time as an infection of hunter-gatherers to the first human villages, which set it up with everything it needed to become the monstrous disease it is today, through to the perils of industrialization and urbanization. It goes on to look at the latest research in fighting the disease, with stories of modern scientific research, interviews with doctors on the TB frontline, and the personal experiences of those affected by the disease.
The organism responsible, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has had plenty of time to adapt to its chosen habitat--human lungs--and has learned through natural selection to be an almost perfect pathogen. Using our own immune cells as a Trojan Horse to aid its spread, it’s come up with clever ways to avoid being killed by antibiotics. But patience has been its biggest lesson--it can enter into a latent state when times are tough, only to come back to life when a host’s immune system is compromised. Today, more than one million people die of the disease every year and around one-third of the world’s population are believed to be infected. That’s more than two billion people. Throw in the compounding problems of drug resistance, the HIV epidemic, and poverty, and it’s clear that tuberculosis remains one of the most serious problems in world medicine.
Catching Breath follows the history of TB through the ages, from its time as an infection of hunter-gatherers to the first human villages, which set it up with everything it needed to become the monstrous disease it is today, through to the perils of industrialization and urbanization. It goes on to look at the latest research in fighting the disease, with stories of modern scientific research, interviews with doctors on the TB frontline, and the personal experiences of those affected by the disease.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 15, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
June 5, 2017
Catching Breath: The Making and Unmaking of Tuberculosis by Kathryn Lougheed is a book that I was able to get from NetGalley and thank you so much! I enjoyed this fascinating book greatly. The writing was full of great info and written with a fun witty style that kept the would-be boring info light, refreshing, and constantly a joy to read. It had lots of history on the dreaded disease of how it was transferred and by who and what. Animals could transfer the disease and the author discusses time periods and what, who, when, and the where. Mummies, animals, different body parts that might be effected not just lungs, and so much more is discussed in this book. There is a wealth of info here. Medical history always interest me for I am a nurse and a history nerd. With the way this author writes, I smiled plenty of times at her clever style and absorbed her tremendous knowledge she generously gave out. What a wonderful book! Thanks again NetGalley and publisher for letting me read this awesome book.
August 4, 2019
4.5 stars. I was watching Penny Dreadful, and while the demonic possession and various supernatural shenanigans were highly entertaining indeed, my main take-away from it apparently was "I want to learn more about tuberculosis." Yeah, IDK. I'm weird, ok.
Thankfully Kathryn Lougheed, TB research badass and overall dry-humoured, witty, pop-culture-referencing, relatable person of excellence, had my back with this book. It's comprehensive and fascinating (the landmine-detecting, TB-sniffing giant HeroRATs genuinely blew my mind!), and made even the minutiae of the various involved sciences (bacteriology, genetics, microbiology etc.) accessible, while never losing touch with the human/social factors that have allowed TB to thrive as well and as long as it has.
In short, this is about as delightful a read as it is possible for a book about a dangerous and infuriatingly clever infectious disease to be.
Thankfully Kathryn Lougheed, TB research badass and overall dry-humoured, witty, pop-culture-referencing, relatable person of excellence, had my back with this book. It's comprehensive and fascinating (the landmine-detecting, TB-sniffing giant HeroRATs genuinely blew my mind!), and made even the minutiae of the various involved sciences (bacteriology, genetics, microbiology etc.) accessible, while never losing touch with the human/social factors that have allowed TB to thrive as well and as long as it has.
In short, this is about as delightful a read as it is possible for a book about a dangerous and infuriatingly clever infectious disease to be.
November 7, 2017
Or mostly the making of it, since unmaking it has been so far beyond human powers.
If you think of TB as something that happens to other people, in other countries, or even only in the past, then this is a necessary corrective. It highlights the disease burden borne in particular countries (usually where poverty and poor nutrition support it), among particular groups (refugees finding it hard to access care; homeless people in London) and in people already suffering reduced immune function (people who have HIV). TB is still very much with us, and there are already strains out there which are completely drug resistant.
Let me say that again: we’re so far from beating TB that there are completely drug resistant strains out there which can only be treated with a Hail Mary approach of toxic antibiotics like kanamycin or surgical intervention. And there have only been two new anti-TB agents in recent years, and neither of them are ready to deploy on a large scale. Oh, and by the way, we don’t even have sufficient global supply of the current first line drugs.
I appreciated Lougheed’s focus on mentioning the fact that this drug resistance isn’t due to people not complying with their medication schedules. Antibiotic resistance naturally arises in TB, even if a patient is observed 24/7 and every pill or shot is administered on a precise timeline. We can’t just put this down to people being careless, though there’s no doubt that in some cases that could cause antibiotic resistance.
If you’re a fan of UKIP, you won’t like Lougheed’s commentary on racism, etc; she shares my views, as far as I can tell from this book, but she’s very vocal in giving little respect to that area of the public. I found her likeable for it, but your mileage will no doubt vary.
Anyway, all in all, this is an interesting, timely, not too technical history of the science of TB, and it’s a bit of an eye-opener even for someone relatively aware of the state of things. I found it very readable and illuminating.
If you think of TB as something that happens to other people, in other countries, or even only in the past, then this is a necessary corrective. It highlights the disease burden borne in particular countries (usually where poverty and poor nutrition support it), among particular groups (refugees finding it hard to access care; homeless people in London) and in people already suffering reduced immune function (people who have HIV). TB is still very much with us, and there are already strains out there which are completely drug resistant.
Let me say that again: we’re so far from beating TB that there are completely drug resistant strains out there which can only be treated with a Hail Mary approach of toxic antibiotics like kanamycin or surgical intervention. And there have only been two new anti-TB agents in recent years, and neither of them are ready to deploy on a large scale. Oh, and by the way, we don’t even have sufficient global supply of the current first line drugs.
I appreciated Lougheed’s focus on mentioning the fact that this drug resistance isn’t due to people not complying with their medication schedules. Antibiotic resistance naturally arises in TB, even if a patient is observed 24/7 and every pill or shot is administered on a precise timeline. We can’t just put this down to people being careless, though there’s no doubt that in some cases that could cause antibiotic resistance.
If you’re a fan of UKIP, you won’t like Lougheed’s commentary on racism, etc; she shares my views, as far as I can tell from this book, but she’s very vocal in giving little respect to that area of the public. I found her likeable for it, but your mileage will no doubt vary.
Anyway, all in all, this is an interesting, timely, not too technical history of the science of TB, and it’s a bit of an eye-opener even for someone relatively aware of the state of things. I found it very readable and illuminating.
April 13, 2018
I wanted to like this book, it seemed a fascinating topic and she was fantastic when discussing it on the podcast Stuff You Missed in History Class. I was quickly disappointed; the writing was scattered, there were random jabs are religion, and there was no going over the basics of tuberculosis. I rapidly lost interest when she said that she had never met anyone with TB. I'm much more into qualitative science and was hoping for personal stories to be integrated with her writing. I got to chapter 3 before I moved on to something else.
June 3, 2017
Honestly this was FASCINATING.
October 31, 2017
Catching Breath by Kathryn Lougheed is the story of Tuberculosis, one of our oldest foes. While I am somewhat familiar with TB, it is not really a disease that is on our radars as something terribly dangerous at the present time. Dr. Lougheed begins by discussing the history of Tuberculosis and how it is entwined with the development of the human race. Trying to plumb the depths of history for DNA and other telltale signs of infection is really hard, but given the correct conditions, it is possible to find pristine samples. Take the settlement of Atlit Yam; since the conditions were right, it was possible to find burial sites that demonstrated the existence of Tuberculosis around 9000 years ago.
While we know for certain that it predates writing, finding the original disease vector has proven to be really difficult. It could be that TB has always infected humans and did not come from another source. We also know that it originated in Africa, and developed into seven lineages. The lineages are named after the main areas that the version of the disease is found in, though three of the seven are still found in Africa.
Tuberculosis was made out to be romantic in the nineteenth century, but it still was not well understood without the Germ Theory of Disease. We can still see that in some movies based on those times, like with Moulin Rouge and in literature with The Magic Mountain. Since TB is so old, it goes by many names; such as Consumption, Phthisis, Scrofula, the White Plague, and Potts Disease.
In any case, since the Tuberculosis bacterium developed alongside the human immune system it has found numerous ways to avoid or circumvent it entirely, and with the rise of HIV/AIDS, it has become a serious threat to a number of people again. While Tuberculosis does not need a weakened immunity to infect you, it certainly doesn’t hurt.
However, it seems that the Tuberculosis Bacterium wants to be recognized by the immune system and uses it to aid in its spread to other hosts. This makes it difficult to make a vaccine or other method to fight it off. Most vaccines work by priming the immune system to attention and familiarizing the immune system to a threat. It might be a weakened version of the microbe that causes it or something along those lines, but the result is the same; antibodies against that particular disease are made. With TB though, it doesn’t seem to work like the Influenza virus, which changes its coating to avoid detection.
The book is really fascinating, and it paints a picture of TB that is not black and white. There is a spectrum of disease symptoms from latent to active. Tuberculosis infection also goes hand-in-hand with poverty, malnutrition, and other social issues. A lot of poorer countries with less medical advancements and money cannot compete. In the same vein, TB research is expensive, you can’t purposely infect someone with Tuberculosis and run experiments.
With humor and grace, Dr. Lougheed brings the story of Tuberculosis from the distant past to the present. While the book focuses on something other than what I expected, it still works quite well.
While we know for certain that it predates writing, finding the original disease vector has proven to be really difficult. It could be that TB has always infected humans and did not come from another source. We also know that it originated in Africa, and developed into seven lineages. The lineages are named after the main areas that the version of the disease is found in, though three of the seven are still found in Africa.
Tuberculosis was made out to be romantic in the nineteenth century, but it still was not well understood without the Germ Theory of Disease. We can still see that in some movies based on those times, like with Moulin Rouge and in literature with The Magic Mountain. Since TB is so old, it goes by many names; such as Consumption, Phthisis, Scrofula, the White Plague, and Potts Disease.
In any case, since the Tuberculosis bacterium developed alongside the human immune system it has found numerous ways to avoid or circumvent it entirely, and with the rise of HIV/AIDS, it has become a serious threat to a number of people again. While Tuberculosis does not need a weakened immunity to infect you, it certainly doesn’t hurt.
However, it seems that the Tuberculosis Bacterium wants to be recognized by the immune system and uses it to aid in its spread to other hosts. This makes it difficult to make a vaccine or other method to fight it off. Most vaccines work by priming the immune system to attention and familiarizing the immune system to a threat. It might be a weakened version of the microbe that causes it or something along those lines, but the result is the same; antibodies against that particular disease are made. With TB though, it doesn’t seem to work like the Influenza virus, which changes its coating to avoid detection.
The book is really fascinating, and it paints a picture of TB that is not black and white. There is a spectrum of disease symptoms from latent to active. Tuberculosis infection also goes hand-in-hand with poverty, malnutrition, and other social issues. A lot of poorer countries with less medical advancements and money cannot compete. In the same vein, TB research is expensive, you can’t purposely infect someone with Tuberculosis and run experiments.
With humor and grace, Dr. Lougheed brings the story of Tuberculosis from the distant past to the present. While the book focuses on something other than what I expected, it still works quite well.
December 2, 2017
This review originally appeared on my blog at www.gimmethatbook.com.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, the research and science are excellent and multilayered. You can easily discern the love the author has for tuberculosis and how to contain it. On the other hand, some of her attempts at humor and lightening the mood seemed out of place to me. A reader who is not familiar with pop culture may find some of her sentences confusing – such as:
“Basically, in some settings, the machines are just sitting there like big ugly espresso machines that no one really knows how to use. Even if someone does get the urge to brew some coffee, George Clooney has used the last cassette and not put in a new order”.
I would be totally immersed in the science aspect and she would throw something like that in there from time to time. It seemed as if she was attempting to lighten the serious subject up with these humorous asides, but it just didn’t work for me.
There are a lot of facts and statistics about TB, which are staggering when you stop to consider how many people have been, and are, suffering from this disease. Certainly TB doesn’t get the airtime of, let’s say, AIDS or cancer – but its presence is still felt daily in places like Africa or India. I hadn’t realized how prevalent it still is, or how stricken these countries are.
The writer goes deep into the origin of TB and the different ways scientists are trying to defeat it. It’s a canny bacteria, though, and has the ability to mutate or take advantage of other sicknesses in the body. After reading CATCHING BREATH, I know more about TB than I ever have; from the obvious to the minutiae, the author gives us everything she’s got. I definitely appreciate her effort but the writing style was at times too dry, too broadly humorous or too rambling. Maybe a bit of editing would do the trick? In any case, don’t avoid this book if you are a fan of diseases – just be prepared for a little strangeness. You will be educated, amazed, and humbled by this tenacious germ.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, the research and science are excellent and multilayered. You can easily discern the love the author has for tuberculosis and how to contain it. On the other hand, some of her attempts at humor and lightening the mood seemed out of place to me. A reader who is not familiar with pop culture may find some of her sentences confusing – such as:
“Basically, in some settings, the machines are just sitting there like big ugly espresso machines that no one really knows how to use. Even if someone does get the urge to brew some coffee, George Clooney has used the last cassette and not put in a new order”.
I would be totally immersed in the science aspect and she would throw something like that in there from time to time. It seemed as if she was attempting to lighten the serious subject up with these humorous asides, but it just didn’t work for me.
There are a lot of facts and statistics about TB, which are staggering when you stop to consider how many people have been, and are, suffering from this disease. Certainly TB doesn’t get the airtime of, let’s say, AIDS or cancer – but its presence is still felt daily in places like Africa or India. I hadn’t realized how prevalent it still is, or how stricken these countries are.
The writer goes deep into the origin of TB and the different ways scientists are trying to defeat it. It’s a canny bacteria, though, and has the ability to mutate or take advantage of other sicknesses in the body. After reading CATCHING BREATH, I know more about TB than I ever have; from the obvious to the minutiae, the author gives us everything she’s got. I definitely appreciate her effort but the writing style was at times too dry, too broadly humorous or too rambling. Maybe a bit of editing would do the trick? In any case, don’t avoid this book if you are a fan of diseases – just be prepared for a little strangeness. You will be educated, amazed, and humbled by this tenacious germ.
February 22, 2020
1.5 breathless starz for this interesting, but frustrating examination of the current state of TB.
Great title: check.
Beautiful cover: check.
Author with proper credentials: check.
Relatively up-to-date (2016-2017) information on the genetics of M. tuberculosis and treatment regimens for TB: check.
Sadly, the rest was rather disappointing. I could not really discern a red thread underlying the writing, as chapters were organized almost randomly. Beyond the structural problems, an even bigger problem lies with the book's target audience: is this intended as a popular science read for a wide public? The (more often than not misguided) attempts at humor and the personal touch of certain anecdotes would suggest so, but then again so many extremely advanced and specialized concepts are just thrown about without being properly explained or addressed. A lay reader such as myself has to trudge through most of the book, even if the topic is fascinating. Also, I could have really used a bibliography and maybe some illustrations.
I do not want to give this book a one star rating because, even if I did dislike the way it was written, I consider that I did learn some things from it. With better editing and a clearer structure, Catching Breath could have been amazing.
In the end, readers must piece their own take home message. TB still exists and is a real problem in certain countries, but that I could have intuited without reading this. What the author does succeed in pointing out, I think, is the fact that treating TB alone is not enough: diseases and their hosts never exist in isolation, and solving the problems of the external environment is just as important as pacifying the internal battlefront (if not more).
Great title: check.
Beautiful cover: check.
Author with proper credentials: check.
Relatively up-to-date (2016-2017) information on the genetics of M. tuberculosis and treatment regimens for TB: check.
Sadly, the rest was rather disappointing. I could not really discern a red thread underlying the writing, as chapters were organized almost randomly. Beyond the structural problems, an even bigger problem lies with the book's target audience: is this intended as a popular science read for a wide public? The (more often than not misguided) attempts at humor and the personal touch of certain anecdotes would suggest so, but then again so many extremely advanced and specialized concepts are just thrown about without being properly explained or addressed. A lay reader such as myself has to trudge through most of the book, even if the topic is fascinating. Also, I could have really used a bibliography and maybe some illustrations.
I do not want to give this book a one star rating because, even if I did dislike the way it was written, I consider that I did learn some things from it. With better editing and a clearer structure, Catching Breath could have been amazing.
In the end, readers must piece their own take home message. TB still exists and is a real problem in certain countries, but that I could have intuited without reading this. What the author does succeed in pointing out, I think, is the fact that treating TB alone is not enough: diseases and their hosts never exist in isolation, and solving the problems of the external environment is just as important as pacifying the internal battlefront (if not more).
August 26, 2017
This was a great book to read. I was so excited to have received this through the Giveaway! ( I've entered thousands of times and finally won!). I'm in the healthcare industry and it was really refreshing to read heavy material in a light hearted way with sarcastic humor built in. After finishing the book, it made me want to hang out with Kathryn Lougheed! Great information written in an easily digestible manner. I wish all books like this were written in this style.
September 16, 2018
Awesome medical history book
I loved the explanation of how tuberculosis treatment has changed throughout history. The author described the issues of treating tuberculosis very concisely.
I loved the explanation of how tuberculosis treatment has changed throughout history. The author described the issues of treating tuberculosis very concisely.
August 22, 2017
You can read the full review on my pointless Tumblr!
Tuberculosis is my thing. Seriously. It's a topic that my brain latched onto, despite the fact that I am not a scientist, not all that great at science in general, and have zero personal connections with the disease. I just love to read about it. So when I came across this book on Netgalley, I immediately had to request it. And, being the nerd I am, I loved it. Not that I'm biased or anything...
What I enjoyed most about Lougheed's book is that she comes from the science-first approach - she eventually came around to the more social/personal impacts of the disease, whereas I, being a dummy, approached TB from social and personal perspectives first, with science coming second. Catching Breath helped fill in some of the, uh, admittedly massive gaps in my knowledge of how M. tuberculosis works. Catching Breath is a fascinating read, but unless you have an intense interest in how tuberculosis works on a cellular level, this might not be the book for you. Worked for me, though! It’s a fun book to read, too, as Lougheed has a very British sense of humor that can make some pretty intense topics bearable. She also highlights the lack of attention TB receives in general, as it’s considered by many to be a disease of the past. Something we cured a long time ago.
Ahahahaha, no. Just…no.
Tuberculosis is my thing. Seriously. It's a topic that my brain latched onto, despite the fact that I am not a scientist, not all that great at science in general, and have zero personal connections with the disease. I just love to read about it. So when I came across this book on Netgalley, I immediately had to request it. And, being the nerd I am, I loved it. Not that I'm biased or anything...
What I enjoyed most about Lougheed's book is that she comes from the science-first approach - she eventually came around to the more social/personal impacts of the disease, whereas I, being a dummy, approached TB from social and personal perspectives first, with science coming second. Catching Breath helped fill in some of the, uh, admittedly massive gaps in my knowledge of how M. tuberculosis works. Catching Breath is a fascinating read, but unless you have an intense interest in how tuberculosis works on a cellular level, this might not be the book for you. Worked for me, though! It’s a fun book to read, too, as Lougheed has a very British sense of humor that can make some pretty intense topics bearable. She also highlights the lack of attention TB receives in general, as it’s considered by many to be a disease of the past. Something we cured a long time ago.
Ahahahaha, no. Just…no.
June 12, 2022
I picked up this book after reading Phantom Plague by Vidya Krishnan. I was hoping the book would provide more insight into tuberculosis, its history, its effects, the science, etc. I was woefully disappointed.
The author writes in a very nonlinear way; jumping from topic to topic, inserting random anecdotes, and trying to be funny while simultaneously making metaphors that include Kim Jong-Un and Hitler (really?). It's difficult to follow any central ideas, as each chapter morphs into one long ramble. To top it off, there isn't a bibliography.
This was such an unfortunate read, as I think there's a lot of important information here that is hidden beneath layers of sarcasm and in between long, unnecessary rambles. I'm off to try to find a different book on tuberculosis that is worth the read...
The author writes in a very nonlinear way; jumping from topic to topic, inserting random anecdotes, and trying to be funny while simultaneously making metaphors that include Kim Jong-Un and Hitler (really?). It's difficult to follow any central ideas, as each chapter morphs into one long ramble. To top it off, there isn't a bibliography.
This was such an unfortunate read, as I think there's a lot of important information here that is hidden beneath layers of sarcasm and in between long, unnecessary rambles. I'm off to try to find a different book on tuberculosis that is worth the read...
Read
May 23, 2018The title, jacket, and flap description lead me to think that this book was written for the layperson, but it was too scientific and dense for me to wrap my brain around. Several chapters into some very dense biology lessons, I gave up. I'm sure this is a fine book on the topic, but not for me.
February 28, 2018
This book gets bogged down in the science. It was a lot more technical than I wanted and this dragged. A lot of the writing was good though.
February 16, 2019
For TB, the story of mutualism, compromise and outright warfare started long before the first humans embarked on their hunter-gatherer ways in Africa's Cradle of Life. But it was only when people started into the picture that things started to get interesting.
This is a brilliant work that captures the strange relationship between Mycobacteria, the bacteria genus that causes tuberculosis disease and Humans.
This book takes us across time and space from current London and Chennai and Tanzania to Egypt 3000 years ago to Israel 12000 years ago to prehistoric remains from thousands of years ago all in search of history of Mycobacterium and TB. It also sheds light on the whole genus of Mycobacterium and speculation on its origins and transference to humans.
It also covers the breadth of the tuberculosis treatment, types, causes and issues from lack of funding to social issues.
A lot of treatment options and diagnoses are covered and also novel treatments and also not so novel methods like rats being used for diagnoses due to novel ones being inaccessible.
One of the best things I liked is the emphasis that this is no longer a disease of poor and with a whole chapter on inequality trying to highlight it's not us vs them.
The reason I took away one star is this book could easily be expanded into hundred more pages without using all those medical jargon offered without any sufficient explanation. Also a lot of pop culture references seemed forced. There was too much emphasis on the tuberculosis of lung and hardly any coverage of extra pulmonary TB I'd have liked at least a chapter on it.
Reading about the suffering of tuberculosis patients was saddening and experiencing it myself, I could relate to a lot of it. This book inspired me to at least do something about it, though it may not be much.
This is a must book for anyone interested in educating themselves on TB.
This is a brilliant work that captures the strange relationship between Mycobacteria, the bacteria genus that causes tuberculosis disease and Humans.
This book takes us across time and space from current London and Chennai and Tanzania to Egypt 3000 years ago to Israel 12000 years ago to prehistoric remains from thousands of years ago all in search of history of Mycobacterium and TB. It also sheds light on the whole genus of Mycobacterium and speculation on its origins and transference to humans.
It also covers the breadth of the tuberculosis treatment, types, causes and issues from lack of funding to social issues.
A lot of treatment options and diagnoses are covered and also novel treatments and also not so novel methods like rats being used for diagnoses due to novel ones being inaccessible.
One of the best things I liked is the emphasis that this is no longer a disease of poor and with a whole chapter on inequality trying to highlight it's not us vs them.
The reason I took away one star is this book could easily be expanded into hundred more pages without using all those medical jargon offered without any sufficient explanation. Also a lot of pop culture references seemed forced. There was too much emphasis on the tuberculosis of lung and hardly any coverage of extra pulmonary TB I'd have liked at least a chapter on it.
Reading about the suffering of tuberculosis patients was saddening and experiencing it myself, I could relate to a lot of it. This book inspired me to at least do something about it, though it may not be much.
This is a must book for anyone interested in educating themselves on TB.
August 9, 2022
Tuberculosis has been resident on Earth as long as has man. While all forms of tuberculosis are properly called tuberculosis, there are subtle differences between one sort and another, historically and clinically. The bacterium has the ability to mutate in such a way that it is harder to prevent and harder to cure than the previous version. These changes have been going on for all of its history and they are going on today. Some of these changes are actually caused by humans. Every time a new drug is used to combat this disease, despite the efficacy of the drug in many cases, a new strain of tuberculosis bacteria which are resistant to it emerges. Tuberculosis is also very opportunistic and can reside symptomless in a person until another infection (for example, HIV) compromises the body's ability to hold TB in check and a co-morbidity results. The author of this book is a British Phd in microbiology who has worked on tuberculosis drugs for many years. She has a fresh, easy, popular way of leading the reader through the history of the disease and the medical efforts to combat it. I already knew a bit about respiratory diseases before I read Lougheed's book but did not know that TB can infect a person in lots of places other than the lungs. The outlook is not particularly encouraging. Aside from progress in the search for new drugs with which to treat tuberculosis, the changes necessary to its elimination are unlikely to occur. The disease transmits best when people are economically poor, illiterate, malnourished, underserved by modern medicine, and crowded into domestic spaces.
November 21, 2017
Catching Breath and Spitting Blood are two must-read books if you want to know more about the impact of tuberculosis worldwide. Lougheed's book especially explores the laboratory work involved in discovering how TB lives and thrives. In spite of everything that researchers have learned about mycobacterium tuberculosis during the past 130 years, we have yet to find an effective vaccine or a chemotherapy regimen that tuberculosis can't outwit. If TB weren't killing millions of us worldwide, we could admire its adaptability and determination to survive.
Chapter Seven held a pleasant surprise for me. It is about Dr. Harry Wilmer and his book Huber the Tuber, which was inspired by his stay at Glen Lake Sanatorium. Coincidentally, I just published a book about Glen Lake, titled Interrupted Lives. As part of my research, I read Huber the Tuber and interviewed Dr. Wilmer's sanatorium roommate. My interest is historical tuberculosis and the experience of sanatorium patients in particular. People often ask me about modern tuberculosis and Catching Breath has definitely given me some talking points.
But to have a science writer in the UK mention "my" Glen Lake Sanatorium in Minnesota is both amazing and kind of weird.
Chapter Seven held a pleasant surprise for me. It is about Dr. Harry Wilmer and his book Huber the Tuber, which was inspired by his stay at Glen Lake Sanatorium. Coincidentally, I just published a book about Glen Lake, titled Interrupted Lives. As part of my research, I read Huber the Tuber and interviewed Dr. Wilmer's sanatorium roommate. My interest is historical tuberculosis and the experience of sanatorium patients in particular. People often ask me about modern tuberculosis and Catching Breath has definitely given me some talking points.
But to have a science writer in the UK mention "my" Glen Lake Sanatorium in Minnesota is both amazing and kind of weird.
November 17, 2017
3.75 stars
Prior to this book my only real awareness of tuberculosis was of the "consumption" so often referred to in historical novels, and I freely admit that's what piqued my interest. The author did an excellent job of persuading me to see it as a complex, interesting, and present-day problem.
All concerns for modern global health aside, (though serioualy, it is an issue) I was positively enthralled to learn about the bacteria itself. It's history predates anatomically modern humans. It co-evolved with us, with our immune systems, and with all the other various microbes that call our bodies home. It followed us out of Africa, different strains evolving with different populations. It's a slow growing, shady little monster with thick cell walls, and it's especially good at lying dormant within a body for years until the opportunity to cause illness presents itself.
This book isn't or everyone. You have to have a reasonably good grasp of basic biology and a dose of patience. If you do, you'll find it very readable, intensely interesting, and just slightly terrifying.
Prior to this book my only real awareness of tuberculosis was of the "consumption" so often referred to in historical novels, and I freely admit that's what piqued my interest. The author did an excellent job of persuading me to see it as a complex, interesting, and present-day problem.
All concerns for modern global health aside, (though serioualy, it is an issue) I was positively enthralled to learn about the bacteria itself. It's history predates anatomically modern humans. It co-evolved with us, with our immune systems, and with all the other various microbes that call our bodies home. It followed us out of Africa, different strains evolving with different populations. It's a slow growing, shady little monster with thick cell walls, and it's especially good at lying dormant within a body for years until the opportunity to cause illness presents itself.
This book isn't or everyone. You have to have a reasonably good grasp of basic biology and a dose of patience. If you do, you'll find it very readable, intensely interesting, and just slightly terrifying.
May 26, 2019
Credit to the author for trying to raise awareness on an issue mostly forgotten about - TB kills far more people than AIDS or malaria, yet funding for scientific research stands at a fraction of both. The book is approachable to the non-scientist, but might bear little fascination to her/him. The detail is necessary to make the point of how this global killer proceeds nearly unabated and evolves to adapt to humans' attempt at fighting it. But considering the main cause of its continuing force is that many do not complete the treatment - thus strengthening the bacteria's ability to overcome it - more information from a sociological and human science perspective would have made for a compelling read. The author is honest enough, she does not consider human carriers much, she concentrates on the bacteria and its behaviour, yet one cannot help but see that we are more than mere hosts to a monster, we are also to some extent its enablers, and in so far as we are, something more perhaps needs to be done, beyond the hard science and fundraising for it.
September 9, 2017
Great story on a deadly disease told in plain language and with humor
I've read several good books on tuberculosis including The Remedy, Experiment 11, and Discovering Tuberculosis. Catching Breath is at least as good as, if not better than, the others. The scope of this book is broader than that of the others, and includes history, diagnosis, treatment and public health. I particularly liked Kathryn Lougheed’s good sense of humor especially considering the grim nature of the subject material. She uses plain wording and analogies, and keeps jargon to a minimum. She also is very clear about what is speculation vs what is established. I strongly recommend this book as a starting point for learning more about tuberculosis or as a great recap to put all the pieces together.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
I've read several good books on tuberculosis including The Remedy, Experiment 11, and Discovering Tuberculosis. Catching Breath is at least as good as, if not better than, the others. The scope of this book is broader than that of the others, and includes history, diagnosis, treatment and public health. I particularly liked Kathryn Lougheed’s good sense of humor especially considering the grim nature of the subject material. She uses plain wording and analogies, and keeps jargon to a minimum. She also is very clear about what is speculation vs what is established. I strongly recommend this book as a starting point for learning more about tuberculosis or as a great recap to put all the pieces together.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
August 21, 2019
I very much enjoyed this, and learned lots of bits and pieces along the way too. This is a book which describes the history of tuberculosis, makes a case for it still being a pressing problem in the modern world, and talks about the threat of drug resistance and work which is being done to combat this.
Lougheed writes in a conversational tone which is something which usually irritates me, but she pulled it off perfectly. There is a twinkle of humour throughout, despite the serious subject matter, and the whole text is thoroughly readable and engaging.
I do a bit of work on TB in my day job, and I don't usually like reading about work things for pleasure... I don't know what made me pick this book up given that context, but I'm very glad I did.
Lougheed writes in a conversational tone which is something which usually irritates me, but she pulled it off perfectly. There is a twinkle of humour throughout, despite the serious subject matter, and the whole text is thoroughly readable and engaging.
I do a bit of work on TB in my day job, and I don't usually like reading about work things for pleasure... I don't know what made me pick this book up given that context, but I'm very glad I did.
June 24, 2020
When I first started this book, I was just a girl with slight interest in TB who has zero knowledge about it, neither as a bacteria or as an infection.
I started reading this book hoping to learn from it, but I soon left it on the shelf, and forgot about it.
Picking it up again after couple of years and after studying a bit of microbiology, it proved to be an even easier and smoother read. Its very very interesting, eye opening and even funny.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, its written in a way that any person with slight interest and little knowledge would be able to understand as the author explains nearly everything there is to explain .. I guess I just didn’t enjoy knowing so little Xp
I highly recommend it
I started reading this book hoping to learn from it, but I soon left it on the shelf, and forgot about it.
Picking it up again after couple of years and after studying a bit of microbiology, it proved to be an even easier and smoother read. Its very very interesting, eye opening and even funny.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, its written in a way that any person with slight interest and little knowledge would be able to understand as the author explains nearly everything there is to explain .. I guess I just didn’t enjoy knowing so little Xp
I highly recommend it
June 25, 2018
This was a fascinating book, and I had no idea the history and current state of TB was so complex. I, like many people, think of TB as a disease of the past, something in a Dickens novel. I was also amazed to learn about the interplay between diabetes and TB, and HIV and TB. I found this book an interesting look at an often overlooked disease, and it really helped bring to light some of the challenges in eradicating this disease.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in infectious diseases, tropical diseases, poverty and development work, biologists, trainee doctors and anyone else interested in infections like TB.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in infectious diseases, tropical diseases, poverty and development work, biologists, trainee doctors and anyone else interested in infections like TB.
January 7, 2021
The author was incredibly knowledgeable and her personal passion on the subject shines through. This book was fascinating in terms of the scientific aspects, especially on how tuberculosis is detected, targeted and treated. The book is particularly eye opening on how this is still a very relevant modern day epidemic.
Tuberculosis is a heavy topic and I get that the author was trying to make it a little lighter, however the author's personal anecdotes and tangents threw me off. I did not enjoy this book as much as others I have read on tuberculosis and the writing style was not quite my cup of tea, but I can appreciate the comprehensive science based research.
Tuberculosis is a heavy topic and I get that the author was trying to make it a little lighter, however the author's personal anecdotes and tangents threw me off. I did not enjoy this book as much as others I have read on tuberculosis and the writing style was not quite my cup of tea, but I can appreciate the comprehensive science based research.
January 18, 2018
This is a fascinating book. Lougheed examines the history of the disease from its earliest days to the modern struggle of drug-resistant TB. She makes excellent points about how the issues of immigration, urban living and poverty contribute to the spread of the disease. TB is a notoriously difficult disease to treat requiring months of medication(s) that often have life-altering side effects. The writing is funny and interesting however it might be difficult for those outside of the medical fields to understand. She gives the reader a crash course in microbiology which helps.
January 28, 2019
I enjoy reading about medical history and epidemiology, so it's no surprise that I enjoyed this book. It was interesting to read about the history of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but I was really fascinated with the current research that has changed the way we look at TB (latent TB is not really latent!) and addresses the complex problems of drug resistant TB. The author stresses the importance of continued research because in spite of our knowledge, technology, and medications, TB continues to be a major public health problem for most of the world.
April 9, 2024
this book was a gift from my 12th grade history teacher after she discovered my then hyperfixation on tuberculosis and i finally read it (5 years later <3)
i love love scientific/medical history books written by actual scientists. this book definitely requires a baseline understanding of physiology and disease pathogenesis to enjoy in its totality, but dr. lougheed’s passion for the subject is wildly infectious (heh)
i love love scientific/medical history books written by actual scientists. this book definitely requires a baseline understanding of physiology and disease pathogenesis to enjoy in its totality, but dr. lougheed’s passion for the subject is wildly infectious (heh)
September 7, 2017
Completly fascinating, a disease that in the west we think we have beaten but it is still the number one world infectious disease. Despite all the efforts of scientist, medics and health programmes, thus bacterium is always one step ahead. Katherine Lougheed writing is excellent, she manages to be both an expert and a communicator
June 14, 2018
Enjoyed the author's sense of humor. The book focuses a lot of attention on studies about the various elements of T.B. testing, treatment, etc. She did a good job of providing metaphors so one would have a better job of understanding the science. I read a lot of epidemiology titles and this falls in the science camp rather than the social science camp.
January 21, 2019
This book does a good review of how the TB diagnostic and treatment progress so far. But it has just done that. I was hoping to find Lougheed proposing new idea or opinion on how we can eradicate TB, instead this book function only as summary. The language used is also very technical. People that able to understand the book won't get very much from reading it.
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