Epidemic!: The World of Infectious Diseases

by Rob DeSalle (Editor), American Museum of Natural History (Compililation)

Leading experts explain infectious disease in an illustrated companion to the acclaimed American Museum of Natural History's exhibit. Epidemic ! explores the world of infectious disease with essays by Nobel Prize-winning experts, profiles of scientists and researchers, and case studies. Written for the general reader, Epidemic! offers a clear understanding of the threat of infectious diseases, from the flu and mad cow disease to HIV and tuberculosis. Leaders of organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control cover topics from controlling outbreaks and the emergence of new diseases to the problem of drug resistance. Individual case studies explore disease around the world, including the work of Doctors Without Borders, the cultural dimension of malaria, solving the riddle of cholera, and the race to find the AIDS virus. Published to coincide with the American Museum of Natural History's traveling exhibit called "the most impressive and informative exhibition the Museum has mounted in years" ( New York Times ), this book illustrates the important issues of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention throughout history and across cultures with more than eighty photographs and images. A resource section includes lists of organizations and Web sites, an annotated bibliography, and a glossary. Examining infectious disease from a natural history perspective, Epidemic! allows us to understand one of the most critical issues of the coming millennium.

Genres: Science

246 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

Rob DeSalle is curator of entomology in the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics at the American Museum of Natural History, New York City. He is author or coauthor of dozens of books, several based upon exhibitions at the AMNH, including The Brain: Big Bangs, Behaviors, and Beliefs and A Natural History of Wine, coauthored with Ian Tattersall and published by Yale University Press. He lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Wendi Lau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as detailed as others but a good, general start. Published to go with an infectious disease display at the American Museum of Natural History in 1999. Chapters or articles written by different authorities in the field. Last chapters focused on AIDS.

I liked the case studies and profiles scattered through out. The computer images of various agents were eerie, especially of the viruses!