Twelve Diseases That Changed Our World by Irwin W. Sherman

Author: Irwin W. Sherman, The Scripps Research Institute, USA

Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
I ordered this book from the local distributor at a symposium on infectious diseases after I quickly skimmed through it. Superficially, it looked interesting and comprehensive. However, after reading it thoroughly I came away rather disappointed. I would not query Sherman's selection of diseases (porphyria/hemophilia, cholera, potato blight, malaria, syphilis, TB, smallpox, black death, yellow fever, influenza, AIDS) as comprehensively covering both the range of pathogens (from fungus to bacteria to virus) and the mode of transmission (inherited, airborne/ droplet, water-borne, STD, vector-borne) that have influenced human activity for the past several centuries. Rather, the problem is with the depth of discussion and the presumed audience. Each disease has a chapter devoted to it and begins with a potted history including origins, pathogenesis, mode of transmission, treatment and control, and how these have changed over time as new knowledge is discovered. So far, so good. However, closer inspection reveals that each history is culled from a handful of sources - invariably including the author's previous book "The Power of Plagues". There are no references cited in the text in any of the chapters making it difficult to verify or follow-up facts or interesting points oneself. At the end of the book there is a chapter-by-chapter bibliography revealing the paucity of information the author has used in compiling the book. The discussion and consequences of each disease discussed at the end of each chapter are also rather disappointing. Obvious points are laboured - more laboratory studies, more health promotion and education are called for; while more subtle points - e.g. cultural/societal factors affecting disease spread and control are skimmed over. In summary, this book falls between two stools - far too simplistic for an academic audience and rather too advanced for the layman (despite the author frequently resorting to everyday analogies to describe complex biological events).