Publishers Weekly
05/04/2020
Infectious disease specialist Peterson (Get Inside Your Doctor’s Head) provides a fascinating overview of germs in his educational and timely primer. Peterson begins by explaining how germs, despite the threat they pose to other living things by causing disease, appear at the “very root” of the “Tree of Life,” as the predecessor to multicellular organisms. Peterson then surveys epidemics over the course of human history, such as smallpox or the bubonic plague, and those of the modern world; in the early 1990s, he notes, medical professionals were experiencing an “onslaught of new or reemerging infectious diseases.” He covers more than 20 in all, notably including killer viruses such as HIV and Ebola (though not the virus that causes Covid-19). In a final section looking to the future, he cautions that “we still have a very long way to go” in vaccine development. But though the “nature of many germs remains profoundly mysterious,” he stresses that there are many scientists committed to solving these mysteries. Lay readers should find this an eye-opening and illuminating look at the pressing issue of infectious disease. Agent: Jessica Kastner. (July)
From the Publisher
Dr. Phillip Peterson’s book is of deep and enduring value. The global health community knows only too well the risk to humanity from microbes. There has been a lot of writing in the scientific community, but the public is confused. Microbes: The Life Changing Story of Germs will provide a major service in the US and globally, as it reaches millions of people who care deeply about this topic."
–Lawrence O. Gostin, Director, World Health Organization Collaborating Center of Public Health Law & Human Rights, Professor of Global Health Law at Georgetown University, and author of Global Health Law
"Dr. Phil Peterson has a lifetime of experience in studying how microbes interact with people. In Microbes: The Life-Changing Story of Germs, he shares his wisdom for a general audience, in a way that is both accessible and accurate. A very useful resource for a wide range of readers."
–Martin Blaser, M.D.,Director, Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Henry Rutgers Chair of the Human Microbiome and the author of Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues
“From one celled organisms to One Health, Phil Peterson writes engagingly about the microbial world, which turns out to be far more complicated - and more comforting - than prior generations of scientists and physicians ever could have imagined. Yes, our species will constantly be challenged by new nasties like Zika and HIV, but Peterson makes clear why we shouldn't throw out the baby with the bathwater — or even wash the baby so often in the first place.”
–Craig Packer, PhD, Professor, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Director, Lion Research Center University of Minnesota and the author of Lions in the Balance: Man-Eaters, Manes, and Men with Guns
“This book provides a bird’s eye view of the fascinating world of microbial agents and will surely stimulate all curious readers to want to learn more about the microorganisms that we humans encounter in our daily lives. A must introduction into microbiology!”
–Johan S. Bakken MD, PhD, Former President, Infectious Diseases Society of America
"Infectious disease specialist Peterson (Get Inside Your Doctor’s Head) provides a fascinating overview of germs in his educational and timely primer...Lay readers should find this an eye-opening and illuminating look at the pressing issue of infectious disease." -Publishers Weekly
